SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING 


DESCRIBES  THE   FUR   BEARING  ANIMALS. 
THEIR   NATURE,   HABITS  AND  DISTRI- 
BUTION, WITH  PRACTICAL  METHODS 
FOR  THEIR  CAPTURE. 


By  E.KREPS. 


Published  by 

A.  A.  HARDING,  Publisher 

106  Walnut  Street 

St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Copyrieht.  1909. 
By  A.  R.  HARDING  PUB-  CO. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Trapper's   Art 15 

II.  The  Skunk  32 

III.  The  Mink 43 

IV.  The   Weasel    52 

V.  The  Marten   58 

'   VI.  The  Fisher    66 

VII.  The  Otter    74 

VIII.  The  Beaver    88 

IX.  The  Muskrat    103 

X.  The  Fox  110 

XI.  The  Wolf  126 

XII.  The  Bear   141 

XIII.  The  Raccoon  148 

XIV.  The  Badger   154 

XV.  The  Opossum    160 

XVI.  The  Lynx    166 

XVII.  The  Bay  Lynx  or  Wild  Cat 173 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVIII.  The  Cougar  178 

XIX.  The  Wolverine  184 

XX.  The  Pocket  Gopher 190 

XXI.  The  Rabbit   196 

XXII.  Tracks   and   Signs 203 

XXIII.  Handling  Furs    220 

XXIV.  Steel   Traps    230 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  Author  with  a  Catch  of  Furs Frontispiece 

Trap  Set  in  Correct  Position  at  Den 22 

The   Balance   Pole 25 

The  Skunk 31 

The  Mink   42 

Mink  Set  under  Log 47 

The  White  Weasel 51 

The  Marten 57 

A  Marten  Set 62 

The  Fisher   ....' 65 

The  Otter 73 

Otter  Trap  Set  under  Ice 82 

The  Beaver 87 

Trap,  Set  for  Beaver 94 

Beaver  Trap  Set  under  Ice 98 

The  Muskrat  102 

The  Red  Fox............ 109 

Water  Set  for  Fox 114 

Dry  Land  Set  for  Fox 117 

The  Coyote  or  Prairie  Wolf 125 

7 


8  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Scent  Set  for  Wolf 132 

Bank  Set  for  Wolf  and  Coyote 136 

The  Grizzly  Bear 140 

The  Raccoon  147 

The  Badger  153 

The  Opossum  159 

The  Lynx    165 

The  Wild  Cat  or  Bay  Lynx 172 

The  Cougar 177 

The  Wolverine  183 

The  Pocket  Gopher 189 

Burrow  of  Pocket  Gopher 191 

The  Rabbit 195 

Rabbit  Snares   200 

Tracks  of  Furbearing  Animals *.......  205 

Tracks  of  Furbearing  Animals 210 

Tracks  of  Furbearing  Animals 214 

Tracks  of  Game  Animals 217 

Canadian  Pattern  Stretching  Boards 225 

Steel  Traps 233 


THE  AUTHOR  WITH  A  CATCH  OF  FURS. 


INTRODUCTION. 


the  many  outdoor  occu- 
pations,  trapping  the  furbear- 
ing    animals    is    perhaps    the 
most  pleasant  and  in  many  in- 
stances is  also  very  profitable. 

Although  trapping  was  one  of  the 
earliest  industries  of  this  country,  the 
occupation  has  not  passed  away,  along 
with  the  vanishing  wilderness,  for  there 
is  more  trapping  done  today  than  at 
any  time  during  the  past.  Scattered  all 
over  North  America,  in  both  the  thickly 
settled  portions  and  the  more  remote 
districts  are  thousands  of  trappers  who 
are  each  season  deriving  both  pleasure 
and  profit  from  this  unique  calling. 

Trapping  in  itself  is  an  art.  Many 
of  the  wild  creatures  are  exceedingly 
wary  and  the  trapper  must  match  his 
reason  against  the  instinct,  the  natural 
wariness  and  the  acquired  knowledge 
of  the  animals.  This  wariness  alone  has 
11 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

saved  some  species  of  animals  from  ex- 
tinction, and  although  man  is  superior 
to  all  brute  life,  such  intelligent  ani- 
mals as  the  fox  and  the  wolf  frequently 
prove  a  match  for  the  most  expert  of 
trappers. 

In  order  to  be  successful,  one  must 
know  the  wild  animals  as  a  mother 
knows  her  child.  He  must  also  know 
and  use  the  most  practical  methods  of 
trapping,  and  it  is  my  object  to  give  in 
this  work,  the  most  successful  trapping 
methods  known. 

These  modes  of  trapping  the  fur- 
bearing  animals  have  for  the  most  part 
been  learned  from  actual  experience  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  but  I  also 
give  the  methods  of  other  successful 
trappers,  knowing  them  to  be  as  good 
as  my  own.  I  am  personally  acquainted 
with  some  of  the  most  expert  trappers 
in  North  America  and  have  also  fol-' 
lowed  the  Indians  over  their  trap  lines 
and  in  this  way  have  learned  many 
things  which  to  the  white  man  are  not 
generally  known. 

E.  KREPS. 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING 


13 


PPER^S 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

CHAPTEK  I. 

THE  TRAPPER'S  ART 

DURING  past  ages  many  of  the  wild  crea- 
tures  of   the    forest   and   stream   were 
hunted  and  captured  in  various  ways  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  wilderness, — the 
flesh  of  these  animals  being  the  principal  food 
of  many  tribes  of  savages  and  the  skins  being 
used  for  clothing;  but  it  was  only  after  furs 
became   a    staple   article    of    wearing    apparel 
among  civilized   nations   and   the   traders   had 
learned  of  the  profits  to  be  made  in  the  fur  trade 
that  wholesale  and  systematic  trapping  began. 
For  many  years  after  the  commencement  of 
the  fur  trade  in  this  country,  the  occupation  of 
trapping  was  monopolized  by  the  native  inhabi- 
tants, but  later  some  of  the  bolder  of  the  white 
race  pushed  into  the  wilderness  and  learned  the 
trapper's  art. 

To-day  there  are  thousands  of  trappers  scat- 
tered over  the  United  States,  Canada,  Alaska 
and  Mexico  and  the  catching  of  wild  animals  for 
profit  is  no  longer  considered  to  be  an  occupa- 

15 


16  -SCIT5N-  TRAPPING. 

tion  fitting  only  for  the  savage,  for  there  is 
scarcely  a  farmer,  ranchman  or  other  person 
whose  calling  brings  him  close  to  nature  who  is 
not  more  or  less  interested  in  the  fur-bearing 
animals.  WUd  animals  are  not  all  hunted  for 
the  sake  of  their  furs.  There  are  some  such  as 
the  wolf,  coyote,  mountain  lion  a.nd  wild-cat 
which  have  become  positive  nuisances  because  of 
their  destruction  of  stock  and  for  such  the  gov- 
ernment and  in  many  cases  the  stockmen  pay  a 
bounty.  The  capture  of  wolves  and  coyotes  es- 
pecially has  become  a  profitable  business. 

As  to  the  promts  to  be  derived  from  this  oc- 
cupation, there  are  professional  trappers  in  the 
North,  South  and  West  whose  catches  amount  to 
from  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  dollars  or 
more  each  season,  but  the  number  who  do  as  well 
as  that  is  comparatively  small.  By  far  the  great-, 
er  number  of  trappers  are  those  who  follow  other 
occupations  and  devote  only  their  spare  time  to 
the  capture  of  wild  animals  and  they  are  for 
the  most  part  farmers  and  country  boys  who  in 
this  way  add  considerable  to  their  yearly  income. 

It  is  not  at  all  necessary  to  go  into  the  wilds 
in  order  to  do  successful  trapping,  and  almost 
any  farming  section  will  be  found  to  be  a  paying 
trapping  ground.  Indeed,  the  country  man  or 
boy  will  in  most  cases  do  far  better  in  his  own 
home  district  than  he  would  by  going  into  some 


THE  TRAPPER'S  ART.  17 

/    . 

place  with  which  he  is  not  familiar  even  though 
the  fur-bearing  animals  be  more  plentiful  there 
than  at  home.  In  his  own  territory  he  will  learn 
the  haunts  of  each  kind  of  fur-bearing  animal, 
its  route  of  travel,  the  dens,  etc.,  and  this  know- 
ledge will  be  of  great  value  when  the  actual  trap- 
ping commences. 

Of  course  all  of  the  various  species  of  ani- 
mals will  not  be  found  in  any  one  section  but 
where  one  is  missing  there  will  be  some  other 
found  in  fair  numbers.  Muskrats  are  most  nu- 
merous as  a  rule  in  the  settled  parts  of  the  coun- 
try and  wherever  the  muskrat  is  found  there  the 
mink  is  also.  Skunks  are  found  almost  every- 
where and  the  ease  with  which  they  may  be  cap- 
tured makes  the  trapping  of  them  a  lucrative 
business.  Foxes  are  found  in  most  of  the  hilly 
sections  and  while  they  are  not  so  easily  cap- 
tured, one  can  make  a  success  of  it  if  he  gives  the 
matter  careful  study  and  uses  sufficient  care  in 
setting  and  attending  the  traps.  In  many  parts 
of  the  South  the  raccoon  is  found  in  abundance 
as  is  also  the  opossum  and  the  otter,  the  wild  cat 
and  other  animals  are  found  more  sparingly  in 
many  parts  of  the  country. 

The  trapper  no  matter  where  lie  is  located  is 
certain  to  meet  with  many  hardships  but  it  is  a 
pleasant  calling  for  all  of  that  and  there  is  a  cer- 

2 


18  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

tain  amount  of  pleasure  in  even  the  roughest  ex- 
periences. Once  one  has  followed  trapping  for 
a  few  seasons  it  is  almost  impossible  to  give  up 
the  wild,  free  life.  The  study  of  the  habits  of 
the  wild  creatures  which  is  necessary  if  one 
wishes  to  become  a  successful  trapper  brings  one 
into  close  touch  with  nature  and  the  work  is  ex- 
tremely fascinating. 

In  the  early  days  before  the  steel  trap  came 
into  general  use,  the  deadfall  and  the  snare  were 
used  almost  exclusively  for  the  capture  of  the 
fur-bearers,  but  at  present  when  steel  traps  have 
reached  a  high  state  of  perfection,  are  sold  at 
prices  which  place  them  within  the  reach  of  all, 
they  are  preferred  by  most  trappers  and  many  of 
the  most  expert  have  discarded  the  wooden  traps 
entirely.  However,  both  the  deadfall  and  the 
snare  are  good  traps  for  certain  animals  and  it 
is  well  to  know  how  to  make  and  use  them  for 
one  may  sometimes  see  a  good  place  in  which  to 
place  a  trap  but  may  not  have  a  steel  trap  along. 
In  such  cases  the  knowledge  of  how  to  construct 
a  practical  deadfall  will  be  of  value.  It  is  true 
that  many  of  the  fur-bearing  animals  are  too  cun- 
ning to  be  captured  by  such  a  contrivance  but 
some  of  the  most  wary  fall  easy  victims  to  the 
snare.  Some  of  the  most  expert  fox  trappers 
use  the  snare  in  preference  to  the  steel  trap  but 
the  number  is  comparatively  small. 


THE  TRAPPER^S  ART.  19 

Many  styles  of  traps  have  been  invented  and 
some  of  the  most  promising  styles  were  placed  on 
the  market  but  it  is  doubtful  if  any  trap  will  ever 
be  designed  which  will  equal  in  popularity  and 
general  usefulness  the  old  time  jaw  trap,  com- 
monly known  as  the  "steel  trap".  These  traps 
have  been  improved  in  many  ways  until  at  pres- 
ent they  are  almost  perfect  and  are  made  in  sizes 
and  styles  to  meet  all  requirements  and  all  con- 
ditions of  trapping. 

The  jaw  traps  possess  decided  advantages 
over  all  other  styles  of  steel  or  \vooden  traps. 
They  are  light  and  compact  and  may  be  moved 
from  place  to  place  without  inconvenience  to  the 
trapper,  will  capture  the  most  wary  animals  as 
well  as  the  most  stupid  and  will  work  perfectly 
under  all  conditions  whether  set  in  the  water 
or  on  dry  land,  on  the  snow  or  on  a  log  or  stump 
or  the  side  of  a  tree.  They  may  be  used  with  or 
without  bait  and  if  the  proper  size  of  trap  is 
used  and  it  is  set  in  the  right  way  it  will  capture 
almost  any  animal  that  comes  that  way.  What 
other  style  of  trap  possesses  all  of  these  advan- 
tages? 

As  most  of  those  who  have  never  done  any 
trapping  know  practically  nothing  regarding  the 
use  of  traps  I  will  outline  briefly  the  methods 
usually  employed  for  the  capture  of  fur-bearing 
animals  before  proceeding  farther. 


20  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

Most  of  the  animals  which  are  caught  in 
traps  are  decoyed  by  means  of  a  bait, — some- 
thing in  the  line  of  food  which  appeals  to  its  ap- 
petite,— so  placed  that  in  attempting  to  reach 
it  the  animal  places  its  foot  in  the  trap.  The 
most  common  way  is  by  setting  the  trap  in  the 
entrance  to  some  natural  enclosure,  such  as  a 
hollow  log  or  stump,  a  hollow  between  trees,  or 
a  hole  in  the  rocks,  or  under  a  stump  the  bait 
being  placed  in  the  enclosure  beyond  the  trap. 
Failing  to  find  a  natural  enclosure,  the  trap- 
per constructs  one,  using  such  material  as  may 
be  found  on  the  spot.  It  is  advisable  as  a  rule 
to  make  as  little  disturbance  as  possible  and  to 
give  the  enclosure  a  natural  appearance. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  an  animal  can 
not  be  induced  to  approach  a  bait  and  in  such 
cases  the  "blind  set"  is  resorted  to, — in  other 
words  the  trap  is  set  without  bait  in  a  trail  where 
the  animal  travels  or  at  the  entrance  of  its  den. 
Failing  to  find  such  a  place  the  trapper  care- 
fully studies  the  route  of  the  animal  and  selects 
a  place  where  some  natural  or  artificial  ob- 
struction will  crowd  it  into  a  certain  spot  where 
he  carefully  sets  his  trap  in  such  a  way  as  to 
catch  the  animal  the  next  time  it  comes  along. 
These  blind  sets  are  as  a  rule  very  successful 
and  many  trappers  use  such  methods  exclu- 
sively. - N - —  -.,...  ~ 


THE  TRAPPER'S  ART.  21 

In  setting  steel  traps,  great  care  is, advised 
for  the  one  who  learns  to  do  this  most  neatly, 
leaving  everything  natural  is,  as  a  rule,  the  most 
successful.  One  should  always  be  certain  to  get 
the  trap  in  the  right  position  for  to  miss  catch- 
ing an  animal  not  only  means  its  loss  for  the 
time  being  but  many  of  them  will  become  wiser 
from  such  experiences  and  their  capture  will  be 
more  difficult  afterwards.  The  trapper  is  wise 
also  wrho  gives  sufficient  attention  to  the  fasten- 
ing of  the  trap,  thus  reducing  the  animal's 
chances  of  escape  after  it  is  once  caught. 

To  properly  set  a  steel  trap  on  dry  land 
one  should  dig  a  "nest"  for  the  trap,  deep 
enough  to  allow  the  covering  to  be  flush  with 
the  surroundings  and  just  a  little  larger  than, 
and  of  the  same  shape  as  the  trap  when  set. 
This  hollow  should  be  lined  with  dry  leaves  or 
moss  and  the  trap  placed  therein.  To  make  the 
trap  rest  solidly  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  it 
being  tipped  over  also  to  make  the  jaws  set  level, 
the  spring  should  be  twisted  around  towards  the 
jaw  which  is  held  down  by  the  trigger  or  "dog". 
The  trap  should  then  be  covered  with  some 
light,  dry  material  in  keeping  with  the  sur- 
roundings, a  few  dead  leaves  or  a  sheet  of  paper 
being  used  first  to  prevent  the  covering  from 
rolling  under  the  pan  and  in  that  way  prevent 
the  trap  from  springing.  Instead  of  doing  this 


22 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 


some  trappers  place  a  bunch  of  cotton  or  dry 
moss  under  the  pan  but  I  do  not  think  this  ad- 
visable. 

In  all  cases  when  setting  traps  at  dens,  on 
trails  or  at  the  entrances  of  enclosures,  the  trap 
should  be  so  placed  that  the  jaws  will  be  length- 


Trap  Set  in  Correct  Position  at  Entrance  of  Den. 


wise  of  the  animal's  approach  so  that  it  will 
step  between  the  jaws  and  not  over  one  of  them. 
If  the  setting  is  reversed  the  rising  jaw  will 
sometimes  throw  the  animal's  foot  out  of  the 
trap. 

There  are  various  good  methods  of  fasten- 


THE   TRAPPER^S  ART.  23 

ing  and  the  proper  one  to  use  depends  on  the 
nature  of  the  surrounding  and  the  species  of 
animal  that  one  is  setting  for.  Water  animals 
should  be  drowned  as  quickly  as  possible  after 
they  are  caught  and  in  order  to  secure  this  re- 
sult the  "sliding  pole"  is  used.  This  is  simply 
an  inclined  pole  leading  into  deep  water  and  of 
a  size  that  will  enable  the  ring  of  the  trap  chain 
to  travel  easily  its  entire  length.  The  most  com- 
mon way  of  using  the  sliding  pole  is  to  thrust 
the  small  end  into  the  bed  of  the  stream  and 
fasten  the  other  end  securely  to  the  bank.  The 
pole  should  have  a  few  branches  near  the  small 
end  to  prevent  the  ring  from  sliding  off.  All 
water  animals  when  caught  in  traps  plunge  into 
deep  water  immediately  and  the  ring  of  the  trap 
chain  sliding  down  the  pole  makes  it  impossible 
for  the  captured  animal  to  again  regain  the  shore. 
In  order  to  make  this  outfit  more  certain  when 
setting  for  large  animals  such  as  otters  and 
beavers,  a  stone  of  six  or  eight  pounds  should 
be  tied  firmly  to  the  chain  but  not  near  enough 
to  the  trap  to  interfere  with  the  action  of  the 
swivel. 

In  trapping  for  muskrats  and  mink  the 
usual  practice  is  to  simply  stake  the  trap  the 
length  of  the  chain  into  the  deepest  water  avail- 
able, the  weight  of  the  trap  being  sufficient  to 
hold  the  animal  under  water. 


24  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

For  land  animals  the  trap  may  be  fastened 
to  a  "clog".  This  is  simply  a  chunk  of  wood,  a 
pole,  brush  or  stone,  the  object  being  to  hamper 
the  animal  in  its  movements  and  prevent  it  from 
getting  a  dead  pull  on  the  trap  and  chain.  In 
fastening  to  the  clog  the  staple  may  be  used  or 
the  chain  may  be  dropped  through  the  ring  so  as 
to  form  a  loop  which  is  slipped  over  the  clog,  a 
few  snags  being  left  stand  to  prevent  the  chain 
from  being  drawn  over  the  end.  When  setting 
for  bears  the  ring  is  slipped  over  the  clog, — a 
pole, — and  fastened  with  a  spike  or  wedge. 
Some  trappers  prefer  to  use  a  pronged  iron  drag 
and  this  is  especially  desirable  when  trapping 
for  the  more  cunning  animals  such  as  the  fox, 
coyote  and  wolf  as  the  drag  may  be  covered  with- 
out leaving  much  sign.  A  stone  may  be  used  in 
the  same  manner  by  securing  with  wire  to  the 
end  of  the  chain. 

For  the  animals  mentioned  the  traps  are 
sometimes  staked  down  solidly,  the  stake  being 
driven  out  of  sight  but  this  gives  the  animal  a 
dead  pull  and  they  will  sometimes  escape. 

Such  of  the  fur-bearers  as  are  likely  to  es- 
cape by  gnawing  or  twisting  off  a  foot  may 
sometimes  be  held  securely  by  the  use  of  the 
"spring  pole"  or  better  still,  the  "balance 
pole".  The  spring  pole  is  a  small  springy 
sapling,  trimmed  of  its  branches  and 


THE  TRAPPER'S  ART. 


25 


planted  firmly  in  the  ground.  The  trap  is  fas- 
tened to  the  small  end  which  is  drawn  down  and 
held  in  that  position  by  being  hooked  lightly  un- 
der a  crotched  stake  or  a  link  of  the  chain  may 
be  hooked  to  a  headless  nail  driven  in  the  side 
of  the  stake.  In  theory  this  device  works  nicely 


The  Balance   Pole. 

but  in  practice  it  is  not  found  to  be  perfect  as 
the  wood  will  lose  its  "spring"  if  kept  bent  for 
some  time,  especially  in  freezing  weather.  The 
balance  pole  is  more  faithful  in  its  action.  It 
is  simply  a  long  slender  pole  fastened  in  a 
crotch  or  tied  to  the  side  of  a  sapling,  the  trap 
being  secured  to  the  small  end.  It  is  so  balanced 


26  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

that  the  weight  of  the  butt  will  not  only  lift  the 
trap  but  the  captured  animal  as  well.  It  is  fas- 
tened down  in  the  same  way  as  the  spring  pole 
and  is  released  by  the  struggles  of  the  animal. 

In  order  to  keep  steel  traps  in  perfect  work- 
ing order  they  should  have  a  certain  amount  of 
attention.  Repairs  will  be  necessary  at  times 
and  before  the  trapping  season  commences  one 
should  look  them  all  over  and  see  that  they  are 
in  good  condition.  The  triggers  should  be  so  ad- 
justed that  the  pan  will  set  level.  All  parts 
should  work  freely  and  the  trap  should  neither 
spring  too  easily  nor  too  hard.  Rust  on  traps 
is  not  desirable  and  may  be  prevented  to  a  great 
extent  by  boiling  the  traps  occasionally  in  a 
solution  of  evergreen  boughs,  maple,  willow  or 
oak  bark  or  walnut  hulls.  This  will  give  the 
traps  a  blue-black  color  and  they  will  not  rust 
for  a  considerable  length  of  time.  New  traps 
will  not  take  the  color  very  well  but  they  should 
be  boiled  just  the  same  to  remove  the  oil  also 
the  varnish  with  which  some  manufacturers 
coat  their  traps.  Some  trappers  smoke  their 
traps  before  setting  believing  that  the  odor  of 
the  smoke  will  smother  that  of  the  metal.  This 
however  is  not  in  my  opinion  a  good  idea  as 
clean  iron  has  no  odor  and  the  smell  of  smoke 
enables  the  animal  to  locate  the  trap,  thus  hav- 
ing just  the  opposite  of  the  effect  desired. 


THE  TRAPPER'S  ART.  27 

Others  again,  grease  or  oil  the  traps  which 
is  also  bad  for  the  same  reason  and  another 
thing  worth  considering  is  the  fact  that  a 
greased  trap  does  not  have  as  good  a  grip  as  one 
which  has  not  been  so  treated.  For  my  own  part 
I  would  rather  have  my  traps  red  with  rust  than 
to  have  them  oiled,  and  if  it  is  necessary  to  oil 
the  joints  of  a  stiff  working  trap,  use  some  oil 
having  practically  no  odor,  never  strong  smell- 
ing substances  such  as  kerosene. 

As  to  the  number  of  traps  that  one  can 
handle,  this  depends  on  conditions.  The  kind 
of  animals  that  one  intends  to  trap  for,  the  na- 
ture of  the  country,  the  method  of  setting  and 
tending  traps,  the  amount  of  fur  to  be  found, 
etc.,  must  all  be  considered.  The  muskrat  trap- 
per who  is  in  a  good  location  where  traps  may 
be  set  from  a  boat  or  in  the  marshes  where  musk- 
rat  houses  $re  plentiful  as  on  some  parts  of  the 
Atlantic  Coast,  can  easily  handle  from  seventy- 
five  to  a  hundred  or  more  traps,  looking  at  them 
once  a  day.  The  marten  trappers  of  the  North- 
west sometimes  use  five  or  six  hundred  traps, 
but  the  traps  are  not  set  far  apart  and  the  trap- 
per spends  a  number  of  days  in  going  over  the 
line.  In  the  thickly  settled  districts  there  are 
comparatively  few  who  use  more  than  five  or 
six  dozen  traps  for  they  must  be  seen  each  day, 


28  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

and  for  beginners  from  two  to  three  dozen  traps 
will  be  sufficient. 

As  before  mentioned,  steel  traps  are  made 
in  various  sizes  so  that  they  may  be  used  for  all 
animals,  from  the  smallest  to  the  largest. 

The  No.  0  is  the  smallest  size  and  is  intend- 
ed for  such  small  animals  as  the  pocket  gopher, 
the  rat  and  the  weasel.  If  the  spring  is  of  fair 
strength  as  it  is  in  the  higher  grades  they  may 
also  be  used  for  muskrat  and  marten.  They  are 
used  extensively  by  the  marten  trappers  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  region. 

The  No.  1  is  known  as  the  muskrat  trap  and 
is  the  best  size  for  this  animal.  It  is  also  used 
for  mink,  skunk,  opossum  and  marten. 

The  No.  1£  is  a  very  popular  trap  as  its  size 
and  strength  adapt  it  for  general  use.  It  is 
known  as  the  mink  trap,  but  the  tendency  among 
trappers  is  to  use  the  1^  for  larger  game  and 
the  No.  1  for  mink.  It  is  the  best  size  for  skunk, 
and  if  the  spring  is  of  fair  strength,  it  will  hold 
the  fox,  coon,  fisher  and  lynx  as  well  as  all 
smaller  animals. 

The  No.  2,  which  is  the  smallest  size  of  the 
double  spring  style  is  known  as  the  fox  trap. 
It  is  also  the  best  size  for  coon  and  is  sometimes 
used  for  otter  especially  in  the  North  but  in  my 
opinion  it  is  too  small  for  regular  use  on  otter. 

Next  in  order  is  the  No.  3  which  has  been 


THE  TRAPPER'S  ART.  29 

named  the  otter  trap,  and  it  is  the  proper  size  to 
use  for  this  animal.  It  is  also  used  for  catching 
the  coyote,  beaver,  wild  cat  and  lynx  and  is  a 
very  popular  trap  in  the  more  remote  sections  of 
the  country. 

The  No.  4  trap  was  originally  intended  for 
the  capture  of  the  beaver  and  is  the  proper  size 
for  that  animal.  The  higher  grades  of  this  are 
also  used  to  a  great  extent  for  trapping  the  tim- 
ber wolf,  also  for  otter  and  coyote. 

The  best  trap  for  wolves,  however,  is  the  4£ 
which  was  designed  especially  for  trapping  these 
animals.  It  is  considerably  heavier  than  the  No. 
4  and  is  fitted  with  a  longer  chain  and  a  pronged 
drag.  This  size  is  also  used  for  taking  the  cou- 
gar or  mountain  lion. 

The  bear  traps  are  known  as  the  No.  50,  the 
No.  5  and  the  No.  6.  The  No.  50  is  the  smallest 
but  is  sufficiently  strong  for  the  black  bear. 
For  those  who  prefer  a  larger  trap  for  this  ani- 
mal, the  No.  5  will  prove  satisfactory,  and  it  will 
also  hold  the  grizzly,  but  is  rather  small  for  that 
animal.  The  size  best  adapted  to  the  capture  of 
the  larger  varieties  of  bears  is  the  No.  6,  which 
will  hold  almost  any  living  animal. 

In  addition  to  the  traps  mentioned,  there 
are  a  number  of  special  styles  designed  to  meet 
the  demand  from  those  trappers  who  desire  spec- 
ial traps  for  some  certain  animals.  Among 


30  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

these  may  be  mentioned  the  clutch  traps,  the 
single  spring  otter  traps  and  the  traps  with  off- 
set jaws. 

It  should  be  understood  that  in  writing  the 
foregoing  description  of  traps,  I  had  in  mind  the 
higher  grades  only.  In  the  following  chapters 
devoted  to  the  capture  of  the  various  animals, 
the  proper  sizes  and  brands  of  traps  to  use  will 
be  given. 


THE  SKUNK. 


31 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  SKUNK. 

CHE  skunk  is  an  animal  of  the  weasel  fam- 
ily, and  is  found  throughout  the  United 
States  and  the  southern  parts  of  Canada. 
A  full  grown  specimen  will  usually  meas- 
ure sixteen  or  eighteen  inches,  from  the  i^ose  to 
the  root  of  the  tail,  which  is  about  twelve  or 
fourteen  inches  long  and  quite  bushy.  The  color 
is  a  glossy  black,  with  usually,  a  white  V-shaped 
stripe  extending  from  the  top  of  the  head  to 
about  half  the  length  of  the  back.  Often,  this 
stripe  is  quite  broad  and  extends  the  length  of 
the  body,  while  in  others  the  stripe  is  missing, 
there  being  only  a  white  spot  on  the  head,  and 
a  white  tip  to  the  tail ;  this  latter  marking  being 
found  on  all  specimens.  In  some  of  the  Pacific 
coast  States,  a  variety  is  found  having  only  a 
single  white  stripe  running  the  entire  length  of 
the  back.  There  is  also  a  small  species  found 
in  parts  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  which  has 
white  spots,  instead  of  stripes.  This  animal  is 
known  to  the  fur  trade  as  well  as  the  trappers, 
as  the  "civet  cat",  although  the  true  civet  cat  is 
quite  a  different  animal. 

32 


THE  SKUNK.  33 

The  skunk  has  become  quite  famous,  among 
country  folks,  because  of  its  powerful  scent, 
which  is  found  in  two  glands  near  the  root  of 
the  tail,  which  the  animal  can  eject  at  will.  This 
scent  is  perhaps  the  most  powerful  and  offensive 
of  all  odors,  and  the  use  of  it  is  the  skunk's  only 
means  of  defending  itself  against  enemies. 

The  skunk  makes  its  den  in  the  ground, 
usually  along  a  gravelly  hill-side,  and  it  some- 
times makes  use  of  the  den  of  the  woodchuck. 
In  thickly  settled  countries  where  the  dens  have 
been  destroyed  by  hunters,  they  often  make  their 
homes  under  barns  and  out-buildings,  and  even 
under  dwelling  houses,  much  to  the  discomfort 
of  the  inmates. 

The  skunk  is  a  nocturnal  animal,  searching 
for  food  only  at  night  and  remaining  in  its  den 
during  the  day.  During  the  cold  part  of  the 
winter,  they  remain  in  their  dens,  coming  out 
only  on  warm  nights,  until  after  the  middle  of 
February,  when  their  mating  season  commences, 
and  the  males  travel,  at  this  time  in  almost  all 
kinds  of  weather. 

The  young  are  born  in  April  and  May,  and 
there  are  usually  frop.  four  to  ten  in  a  litter, 
though  occasionally  there  will  be  a  larger  num- 
ber. 

Their  food  consists  mostly  of  insects,  grubs> 

3 


34  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

young  birds  and  eggs,  and  when  they  have  an 
opportunity  to  do  so,  they  will  kill  and  eat 
poultry,  etc.  They  are  also  fond  of  carrion,  and 
even  the  flesh  of  their  own  kind. 

In  the  northern  states  the  skunk  becomes 
prime  about  the  last  week  in  October,  while  in 
the  extreme  south  they  are  probably  not  prime 
until  the  last  week  in  November.  In  the  north 
they  commence  to  shed  their  fur  about  the  tenth 
or  fifteenth  of  March,  while  in  the  south  they 
shed  still  earlier.  During  very  cold  weather, 
when  the  skunks  have  been  confined  to  their 
dens  for  a  considerable  length  of  time,  the 
warmth  of  the  dens  has  a  tendency  to  injure  the 
fur.  The  males  also  fight  among  themselves  and 
their  fur  is  often  injured  in  this  way.  At  other 
times  the  fur  is  spoiled  somewhat,  because  of 
too  small  an  entrance  to  the  den,  the  fur  having 
a  rubbed  or  woolly  appearance.  It  is  the  fine 
black  skins  taken  when  in  the  best  condition, 
that  are  the  most  valuable.  Skunks  are,  per- 
haps, found  in  the  greatest  numbers  in  the  east- 
ern states,  and  the  trappers  from  that  section, 
make  more  money  from  skunks  than  from  any 
other  animal.  ^ 

In  winter,  one  may  track  them  to  their  dens, 
and  if  the  den  is  a  good  one,  may  find  any  num- 
ber of  skunks,  up  to  a  dozen,  in  the  same  den. 
It  is  a  common  practice  to  dig  the  den  open  and 


THE  SKUNK.  35 

kill  all  the  inmates,  but  as  this  method  means 
the  destruction  of  a  good  den,  it  is  not  advis- 
able to  do  so.  The  best  way  is  to  trap  them,  as 
in  this  way  the  den  will  not  be  injured,  and  it  is 
almost  certain  that  you  will  find  skunks  in  the 
same  den  each  season.  Such  a  den  is  worth 
money  to  the  trapper.  The  oil  of  the  skunk,  if 
rendered  carefully,  without  burning,  is  useful, 
and  is  often  used  by  country  people  as  a  remedy 
for  croup. 

The  most  common  method  of  trapping  the 
skunk  is  to  set  the  trap  in  the  entrance  of  the 
den,  without  bait,  but  where  there  are  many 
dens,  or  where  the  dens  are  hard  to  find,  it  is 
best  to  use  bait.  In  setting  the  trap  in  a  den, 
it  should  be  set  just  inside  the  entrance,  unless 
the  mouth  of  the  den  is  small,  when  it  should 
be  set  just  outside.  The  trap  should  be  set  with 
the  jaws  lengthwise  of  the  hole,  so  that  the  skunk 
steps  between  the  jaws,  and  not  over  them,  as  by 
stepping  over  the  jaw  the  foot  is  likely  to  be 
thrown  out  of  the  trap,  by  the  jaw,  as  the  trap 
springs.  This  rule  also  applies  to  all  traps  set 
in  dens  or  enclosures  of  any  kind.  The  common 
way  of  fastening  is  to  stake  the  trap  or  fasten  to 
a  clog,  but  the  balance  pole  is  better. 

No  great  care  is  necessary  in  covering  the 
trap,  as  the  skunk  is  not  suspicious,  but  it  is 
always  best  to  use  care,  especially  in  setting 


36  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING.- 

baited  traps,  as  one  never  knows  what  animal 
may  come  along.  On  one  occasion  I  caught  a  fox 
in  a  trap  set  for  skunk., 

It  is  a  good  idea  also,  when  trapping  at  dens, 
to  put  a  small  scrap  of  bait  inside  of  the  den, 
as  many  skunks  that  are  traveling  about,  only 
look  in  and  turn  away,  and  if  the  trap  is  set  in- 
side, will  not  be  caught.  If,  however,  there  is  a 
small  bait  inside  the  den,  the  skunk  will  attempt 
to  get  it,  and  will  be  caught  in  the  trap. 

The  traps  most  used  for  skunks  are  the  No. 
1  and  No.  1^.  There  are  also  some  special  traps 
manufactured  for  these  animals,  having  double 
jaws  or  webbed  jaws,  to  prevent  the  animal 
gnawing  off  its  foot. 

Traps  set  for  skunk  should  be  visited  every 
day,  as  otherAvise  the  captured  animals  are  likely 
to  escape.  They  seem  to  struggle  more  on  dark 
stormy  nights,  and  during  such  weather,  one 
should  get  around  to  his  traps  as  early  as  possi- 
ble in  the  morning. 

Sometimes  one  can  find  a  well-defined  trail 
leading  away  from  the  mouth  of  the  den.  In 
such  a  case,  several  traps  may  be  set  in  the  trail, 
thus  doubling  or  trebling  the  chance  for  a  catch. 

When  good  dens  cannot  be  found,  dig  a  hole 
under  an  old  stump,  and  place  a  bait  inside,  set- 
ting the  trap  directly  in  front  of  the  hole  and 
cover  with  dry  dirt.  Sprinkle  some  scent  about, 


THE  SKUNK.  37 

on  the  stump  and  ground;  use  care  in  setting 
as  you  are  likely  to  catch  a  fox,  providing  the 
trap  is  carefully  set  and  covered,  and  the  stake 
driven  out  of  sight.  For  bait  use  tainted  meat 
of  almost  any  kind. 

Another  good  way  is  to  find  a  spot  of  sandy 
ground,  and  set  the  trap  in  a  small  hole,  cover- 
ing with  sand.  Cut  the  bait  into  small  pieces 
and  scatter  it  all  around  the  trap,  also,  if  you 
have  it,  sprinkle  some  scent  around.  The  trap 
may  be  fastened  to  a  brush  drag,  and  the  brush 
set  up  to  look  as  though  it  were  growing  there. 

If  you  can  find  a  tree  or  stump  with  two 
spreading  roots,  set  the  trap  between  these  roots 
and  fasten  the  bait  on  the  side  of  the  tree,  about 
ten  inches  above  the  trap. 

Still  another  way  is  to  make  a  small  pen  of 
old,  rotten  wood,  stones  or  stakes,  setting  the 
trap  in  the  entrance,  and  placing  the  bait  in  the 
pen  beyond  the  trap. 

Any  natural  enclosure,  such  as  a  hollow  log, 
a  hole  in  the  bank,  or  in  a  wall  or  pile  of  stones, 
makes  a  good  place  in  which  to  set  a  trap. 

Skunks  may  also  be  taken  in  box  traps, 
deadfalls  and  snares,  and  they  seldom  become 
scented  when  caught  in  such  traps. 

For  bait,  the  following  are  all  good:  musk- 
rat,  skunk,  chicken,  birds  of  any  kind,  rabbit, 
squirrel,  mice,  rotten  eggs  or  fish — tainted  bait 


38  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

is  always  to  be  preferred  for  skunks,  fresh  bait 
being  second  choice. 

To  make  a  good  decoy,  take  one-half  dozen 
rotten  eggs,  and  the  scent  of  one  skunk,  and 
mix  thoroughly.  A  mixture  of  the  male  and 
female  scent  is  probably  best.  Many  of  the  decoys 
recommended  for  the  fox  are  also  good  for 
skunk.  The  scent  of  the  skunk  itself,  is  one  of 
the  very  best  to  use. 

Most  trappers  object  to  having  the  scent  of 
skunks  on  their  clothing  and  for  this  reason  I 
give  the  following  methods  for  killing  the  cap- 
tured animals,  so  that  they  will  not  throw  their 
scent.  If  the  trap  is  staked,  or  fastened  to  a 
clog,  cut  a  club  about  four  or  five  feet  long,  and 
approach  the  animal  very  slowly,  using  care  not 
to  make  any  quick  movements.  If  the  skunk 
raises  its  tail,  as  though  it  intended  to  throw  its 
scent,  stop,  and  stand  perfectly  still  until  it 
drops  its  tail  again,  when  you  can  go  nearer. 
In  this  way  if  you  are  careful,  you  can  easily  get 
within  striking  distance,  when  you  should  de- 
liver a  good  smashing  blow  across  the  back.  If 
the  back  is  broken,  the  muscles  which  operate 
the  scent  glands  will  be  paralyzed,  and  there 
will  be  absolutely  no  danger  of  getting  a  charge 
of  perfumery. 

Some  trappers  fasten  their  traps  to  the  end 
of  a  ten  or  twelve  foot  pole,  and  by  approaching 


THE  SKUNK.  39 

carefully,  can  pick  up  the  pole,  when  by  going 
slowly,  the  skunk  may  be  led  to  the  nearest 
water  where  it  may  be  drowned.  Lead  the  skunk 
into  shallow  water,  gradually  working  it  into 
deeper,  holding  its  head  under  until  nearly 
drowned,  then  let  it  have  a  little  air,  —  just  a 
breath,  and  push  it  under  again,  keeping  it  there 
until  its  struggles  cease.  If  the  animal  is  caught 
by  a  front  foot,  it  may  be  carried  to  the  water, 
as  a  skunk  can  seldom  throw  its  scent  if  lifted 
off  the  ground,  and  not  allowed  to  touch  any- 
thing with  the  hind  feet  or  tail. 

Another  method  is  to  cut  the  animal's  throat 
with  a  small,  very  sharp,  pointed  knife  blade,  at- 
tached to  the  end  of  a  ten  foot  jointed  pole.  Ap- 
proach the  animal  carefully  and  place  the  point 
of  the  knife  against  the  side  of  the  animal's 
neck,  just  over  the  jugular  vein.  Push  steadily 
against  the  knife;  as  soon  as  the  blood  flows 
freely,  move  away  and  allow  the  animal  to  die. 

Perhaps  the  quickest  method  is  to  shoot  the 
skunk  in  the  center  of  the  back,  with  a  22  caliber 
rifle  or  pistol.  This  breaks  the  back  killing  the 
animal  almost  instantly,  and  there  will  be  no 
scent  whatever. 

If  the  trap  is  fastened  to  a  balance  pole  you 
can  kill  the  animal  by  a  blow  across  the  back. 
Never  shoot  them  iu  the  head,  or  stride  the  head 


40  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

with  a  club,  as  they  are  certain  to  throw  their 
scent  if  killed  in  this  way. 

If  the  fur  of  the  skunk  has  become  scented, 
I  use  the  following  method  for  removing  the 
scent :  Build  a  fire  and  throw  an  armful  of  ever- 
green boughs  on  it  so  as  to  make  a  dense  smoke. 
Hold  the  scented  animal  in  the  smoke  for  about 
five  minutes,  using  care  to  keep  it  away  from  the 
fire  or  the  heat  will  curl  the  hair.  After  the 
skunk  is  skinned  hang  the  skin  in  an  airy  place 
for  a  few  days,  when  there  will  be  practically  no 
smell  left. 

Before  skinning  or  handling  the  skunk,  rub 
your  hands  with  some  kind  of  grease.  After  the 
animal  is  skinned,  wash  your  hands  well,  using 
soap  and  hot  water ;  there  will  be  no  scent  re- 
maining on  the  hands.  Benzine  or  gasoline  will 
also  remove  the  scent  from  the  hands  or  cloth- 
ing. Cider  vinegar  is  also  said  to  be  good.  If 
the  clothing  is  buried  over  night  in  damp  ground, 
the  scent  will  usually  draw  out. 

The  track  of  the  skunk  is  peculiar  and  is  not 
likely  to  be  mistaken  for  that  of  some  other  ani- 
mal. Although  a  member  of  the  weasel  family, 
it  does  not  travel  by  a  series  of  jumps  as  does 
the  weasel,  mink,  marten,  etc.,  but  maintains  a 
steady  walk,  and  the  foot-prints  will  be  an  even 
distance  apart  and  spread  considerably  so  as  to 


THE  SKUNK.  41 

make  a  wide  trail.  The  length  of  step  is  about 
fire  inches  and  the  footprints  will  measure  from 
one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  in  length,  accord- 
ing to  the  size  of  the  animal. 


42 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

THE   MINK. 

CHE  mink  is  a  small  carnivorous  animal,  be- 
longing to  the  weasel  family.  It  is  found 
throughout  the  United  States  and  the 
greater  part  of  Canada  and  Alaska.  A 
distinct  species  is  also  found  in  Europe  and 
Asia.  In  North  America  there  appears  to  be 
several  varieties,  varying  considerably  in  size 
and  color.  A  large,  light-colored  variety  is  found 
in  the  country  drained  by  the  Mississippi  River 
and  its  branches,  and  also  in  the  prairie  country 
of  Canada.  This  variety  sometimes  reaches  the 
weight  of  four  pounds,  or  even  more,  and  the 
skin,  when  properly  stretched,  will  sometimes 
measure  thirty-six  or  thirty-eight  inches  from 
tip  to  tip.  A  smaller  and  darker  variety  is  found 
in  the  Eastern  States  and  the  Eastern  parts  of 
Canada  and  Lake  Superior  regions,  and  a  still 
smaller  and  very  dark  colored  mink  is  found  in 
Northern  Maine  and  parts  of  New  Brunswick. 
A  small,  light  colored  variety  is  found  on  the 
Pacific  coast. 

The  mink  has  a  long,  slender  body,  a  small 
head,  and  rather  short  legs.    The  tail  is  usually 

43 


44  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

about  eight  inches  long  and  is  quite  bushy.  The 
fur  is  thick,  fine  and  glossy,  and  the  color  varies 
from  a  very  light  brown  to  very  dark.  The  usual 
color  is  dark  brown,  the  fur  on  the  tail  being 
darker  than  that  on  the  body. 

The  mating  season  commences  about  the  last 
week  in  February  and  ends  about  the  middle  of 
March.  The  young  are  born  in  April,  there  be- 
ing from  four  to  six  in  a  litter. 

The  mink  is  not  an  amphibious  animal,  but 
it  is  found  only  along  the  streams  and  water- 
courses, from  which  it  obtains  a  large  part  of  its 
food.  It  is  a  great  rambler,  traveling  long  dis- 
tances along  the  streams  and  lakes,  and  always 
following  the  same  route.  When  on  these  trips 
it  explores  the  drifts  and  log-jams,  holes  in  the 
bank,  hollow  logs,  etc.,  which  habit  is  taken  ad- 
vantage of  by  the  trapper. 

The  fur  of  the  mink  is  at  its  best  during  the 
months  of  November,  December  and  January, 
in  the  north;  while  in  the  extreme  south,  they 
are  only  number  one,  during  December  and  Jan- 
uary. In  February,  the  fur  commences  to  fade, 
and  they  are  not  worth  so  much.  The  dark  col- 
ored skins  command  the  best  prices. 

The  food  of  the  mink  consists  of  fish,  frogs, 
birds,  squirrels,  mice,  rabbits,  muskrats,  etc.,  all 
of  which  are  good  for  bait.  They  are  also  very 
fond  of  poultry. 


THE   MINK.  45 

The  traps  most  used  for  mink  are  the  Nos. 
1  and  1J.  The  webbed  jaw  and  the  double  jaw 
traps  are  especially  desirable  for  mink,  as  when 
caught  in  these  traps,  they  cannot  escape  by 
gnawing  off  the  foot. 

There  are  probably  more  methods  used  in 
trapping  the  mink  than  in  trapping  any  other 
animal.  In  localities  where  they  take  bait  well, 
the  usual  plan  is  to  set  the  trap  in  the  entrance 
to  a  natural  or  artificial  enclosure,  on  the  bank 
of  the  stream,  placing  a  bait  on  the  inside  of 
the  enclosure.  The  trap  should  be  nested  down, 
and  covered  with  some  light  material  in  keeping 
with  the  surroundings.  The  trap  may  be  fast- 
ened to  a  light  clog  or  a  balance  pole,  or  if  very 
close  to  the  water,  to  a  sliding  pole.  The  bait 
should  be  strictly  fresh.  Some  good  scent  may 
be  used  if  desired.  Hollow  logs  and  holes  in 
drifts  and  under  stumps  make  good  places  for 
sets.  Some  trappers  do  not  set  in  an  enclosure, 
but  hang  the  bait  about  eighteen  inches  above 
the  trap.  I  do  not,  however,  consider  this  a  sat- 
isfactory method.  When  an  artificial  enclosure 
is  used,  it  should  be  roofed  over  with  bark,  or 
evergreen  boughs  to  protect  that  trap  from  the 
snow. 

For  fall  trapping,  many  prefer  to  set  traps 
in  the  water.  The  following  method  is  one  of 
the  best  for  a  water  set :  find  a  steep  bank  where 


46  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

the  water  is  shallow,  and  runs  smoothly  and  rap- 
idly, make  a  hole  in  the  bank,  on  a  level  with  the 
water,  making  the  hole  about  ten  inches  deep 
and  about  four  inches  in  diameter.  Put  a  piece 
of  fresh  bait  back  in  the  hole,  fastening  with  a 
small  stick,  and  set  the  trap  in  the  water  at  the 
mouth  of  the  hole.  Stake  the  trap  the  full  length 
of  the  chain  into  the  water  and  cover  with  mud 
or  water-soaked  leaves. 

Along  the  streams  where  little  sand-bars 
lead  out  into  the  water  select  a  place  on  one  of 
these  bars,  where  the  water  is  only  an  inch  or 
two  in  depth,  set  the  trap  under  the  water,  close 
to  the  edge  of  the  stream.  Fix  a  small  fish  on 
the  point  of  the  stick,  out  in  the  stream  a  foot 
from  the  trap,  pushing  the  stick  down  until  the 
bait  rests  partly  under  water.  Stake  the  trap  so 
that  the  catch  will  drown.  This  is  a  very  suc- 
cessful set  and  requires  but  little  time  and 
trouble  to  make. 

In  some  localities  the  mink  do  not  take  bait 
well,  in  which  case,  blind  sets  —  traps  without 
bait  must  be  depen&ed  upon.  In  the  fall  while 
the  water  is  still  open,  find  a  high  bank  where 
the  water  leads  off  fairly  deep,  leaving  only  a 
very  narrow  strip  of  shallow  water,  at  the  foot 
of  the  bank.  Set  the  trap  in  the  edge  of  the 
water  and  stake  full  length  of  the  chain  into  the 
stream.  Place  a  couple  of  water-soaked  leaves 


THE  MINK. 


47 


on  the  trap,  and  drop  a  few  pinches  of  mud  on 
them  to  hold  them  in  place.  The  steep  bank  on 
one  side  and  the  deep  water  on  the  other,  will 
guide  the  mink  into  the  trap.  If,  however,  the 
shallow  water  extends  out  some  distance  from 
the  bank,  take  a  chunk  of  water-soaked  wood, 


Mink  Set  Under  Log. 
XX  Shows  Positions  of  Traps. 

and  stand  it  in  the  water,  just  beyond  the  trap, 
leaving  the  top  rest  against  the  bank.  This  will 
leave  only  a  narrow  passage  over  the  trap,  and 
you  may  be  pretty  sure  of  catching  your  mink. 
A  similar  set  should  be  made  on  the  opposite  side 


48  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

of  the  stream,  if  conditions  are  favorable.  This 
is  a  very  good  method  for  use  in  the  south. 

After  streams  are  frozen,  a  different  plan 
must  be  adopted.  In  such  cases  if  you  can  find 
a  jam  or  drift  extending  across  the  stream,  find 
an  opening,  leading  through  this  drift,  close  to 
the  bank,  and  set  the  trap  in  this  opening,  cover- 
ing with  fine,  drift  dirt.  In  case  you  cannot  find 
a  suitable  passage,  make  one  and  stop  up  all 
other  holes.  A  little  scent  of  the  right  kind  may 
be  used  here  to  good  advantage. 

The  illustration  shows  two  traps  set  under 
an  old  log,  spanning  the  stream.  The  log  pro- 
tects the  traps  from  rain  or  snow,  and  a  glance 
at  the  cut  will  show  that  it  would  be  practically 
impossible  for  a  mink  to  pass  along  the  stream 
without  being  caught.  The  same  set  is  good  for 
the  raccoon.  If  the  stream  is  frozen  fill  the  open- 
ing, under  the  log,  with  old,  dead  brush,  so  that 
there  is  no  chance  for  the  mink  to  pass,  except 
over  the  traps. 

Another  good  method  for  the  wary  mink  is 
as  follows:  find  a  high,  steep  bank  along  the 
stream;  if  it  overhangs,  so  much  the* better,  and 
about  two  feet  above  the  water,  make  a  hole 
about  four  inches  in  diameter,  and  a  foot  or 
more  deep.  Leave  the  dirt  that  you  dig  out,  rest 
directly  in  front  of  the  hole,  and  set  the  trap  in 
this  dirt,  covering  with  same.  Pack  dry  moss 


THE   MINK.  49 

around  the  jaws  and  cover  the  trap  first  with  a 
sheet  of  paper,  finishing  with  a  thin  layer  of 
dirt.  Put  some  good  mink  scent  in  the  hole ;  the 
musk  of  the  mink  itself  is  best  for  this  set.  If 
the  traps  can  be  visited  every  day,  it  is  a  good 
plan  to  stake  the  trap,  so  that  the  mink  will  roll 
around  over  the  ground,  and  the  next  one  will  be 
more  easily  caught. 

Where  mink  travel  around  a  lake,  go  to  the 
outlet  and  lay  a  hollow  log  across  the  stream, 
just  where  the  water  leaves  the  lake.  Set  a  trap 
in  this  log,  covering  with  fine,  rotten  wood,  and 
every  mink  that  travels  around  the  lake,  will  at- 
tempt to  run  through  the  log,  and  will  be  caught. 
If  you  cannot  find  a  hollow  log  near  at  hand, 
build  a  covered  passage-way  of  poles  and  chunks, 
and  set  your  trap  in  this  passage. 

Mink  may  also  be  taken  in  box  traps  and 
deadfalls. 

Scents  are  much  used  and  there  are  some 
few  which  have  proved  attractive.  Fish  oil  is 
one  of  the  most  common  scents  for  mink  and 
other  animals.  It  is  made  by  taking  fish  of  al- 
most any  kind,  cutting  them  into  small  pieces, 
and  putting  in  a  wide  mouthed  bottle.  Let  stand 
in  a  warm  place,  loosely  covered,  until  the  fish 
are  thoroughly  rotted,  and  in  a  liquid  state;  this 
scent  may  be  used  alone  or  combined  with  others. 

4 


50  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

If  a  female  mink  can  be  caught,  during  the 
mating  season,  remove  the  generative  organs, 
and  place  them  in  a  bottle,  adding  about  two 
ounces  of  fish  oil  and  all  of  the  mink  musk  you 
can  get.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  best  scent 
ever  devised.  It  should  be  used  without  bait. 

In  traveling,  the  mink  goes  "the  jump"  and 
its  foot-prints  are  always  in  pairs,  the  space  be- 
tween each  set  being  from  eighteen  to  twenty- 
four  inches.  The  footprints  will  measure  from 
one  to  one  and  one-fourth  inches  in  length,  with 
one  always  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  other. 


THE  WEASEL. 


51 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    WEASEL 

CHE  weasel  is  the  smallest  of  all  carnivor- 
ous animals  and  the  various  species  and 
varieties  are  distributed  over  the  greater 
portion   of   northern   Asia,   Europe   and 
North  America.    In  this  country  alone  natural- 
ists recognize  some  twenty  species  and  sub-spe- 
cies, most  of  which  are  found  in  Canada  and 
Alaska,  also  the  northern  and  western  states. 
Of  these  it  is  only  the  northern  varieties,  those 
which  become  white  in  winter  that  are  of  im- 
portance to  the  trapper. 

The  ermine  of  Europe  is  a  species  of  weasel, 
and  the  American  white  weasel  is  sometimes 
called  the  ermine,  its  fur  being  used  to  imitate 
the  fur  of  that  animal. 

The  change  of  color  in  the  fur  of  this  ani- 
mal is  not  understood  by  naturalists.  It  occurs 
only  in  the  most  northern  portions  of  its  range 
and  it  is  not  known  whether  the  animal  really 
sheds  its  brown  summer  coat  when  the  cold 
weather  approaches  or  whether  the  fur  bleaches, 
but  it  is  certain  that  the  change  occurs  in  some 


THE  WEASEL.  53 

way,  the  fur  becoming  white  in  the  fall  and 
changing  to  brown  again  in  spring. 

The  smallest  variety  of  the  weasel  is  found 
in  northwestern  Canada  and  Alaska  and  with  it 
the  black  tip  of  the  tail  so  characteristic  of  the 
weasel  is  missing.  Very  large  weasels  are  se- 
cured in  the  northern  part  of  Maine,  but  it  is 
said  that  the  finest  skins  are  obtained  in  Nova 
Scotia  and  Newfoundland. 

The  weasel  from  many  sections  have  a  pe- 
culiar, sulphury  yellow  cast  to  the  fur,  especial- 
ly on  the  hind-quarters,  and  of  many  of  these 
stained  skins  only  the  black  tip  of  the  tail  is  of 
value.  What  causes  the  stain  is  not  known, 
neither  is  there  any  known  method  for  removing 
it.  One  fur  buyer  states  that  about  seven  out 
of  every  ten  skins  received,  show  this  yellow 
stain  and  are  of  little  value. 

The  weasel  is  one  of  the  most  blood-thirsty 
of  animals  and  is  very  courageous.  It  is  a  terror 
to  rats,  mice,  rabbits,  partridges  and  poultry.  It 
will  kill  for  the  love  of  slaughter,  even  when  not 
hungry,  and  I  have  known  a  single  animal  to  kill 
more  than  thirty  chickens  in  a  night,  sucking 
only  a  little  of  the  blood  from  each. 

On  one  occasion  I  knew  a  farmer  who  had 
turned  a  drove  of  fair-sized  pigs  into  a  pasture, 
and  one  day,  hearing  a  wild  squealing  over  along 
the  pasture  fence,  went  to  investigate.  He 


54  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING, 

found  the  entire  drove  of  porkers  running  along 
the  fence  and  squealing  from  terror  and  follow- 
ing them  was  a  little  brown  weasel. 

Curiosity  is  highly  developed  in  the  weasel. 
Many  times  I  have  seen  them  in  my  camp  at 
night  and  if  I  remained  perfectly  quiet  they 
would  approach  to  within  a  few  feet  and  stand 
upright  on  their  hind  legs  to  get  a  good  view. 
At  the  least  movement,  however,  they  wrould  dis- 
appear only  to  return  a  minute  later. 

As  before  mentioned  the  weasel  is  a  blood- 
thirsty creature,  and  when  it  finds  some  food 
that  is  to  its  liking  it  can  scarcely  be  driven 
away.  On  various  occasions  I  have  found  them 
attempting  to  remove  the  bait  from  my  traps 
and  such  times  I  would  adjust  the  trap  so  as  to 
be  very  easily  sprung,  and  then  step  aside  and 
wait  for  the  animal  to  be  caught. 

The  weasel  has  a  sharp  eye  and  a  keen  nose. 
While  trapping  in  the  North  I  would  always 
keep  on  hand  a  supply  of  snared  rabbits  for  use 
as  bait,  and  often  weasels  would  come  into  the 
camp  at  night,  attracted  by  the  bait,  and  it  is 
interesting  to  note  how  quickly  they  could  scent 
out  the  freshest  rabbit  in  the  pile  and  by  biting 
into  its  ears  would  attempt  to  drag  it  away. 
Quite  often  they  wrere  able  to  move  a  fair  sized 
rabbit.  I  usually  kept  a  trap  setting  in  my 


THE  WEASEL.  55 

camp  and  in  this  way  in  one  season  caught  fif- 
teen weasels  in  one  camp. 

I  have  never  learned  anything  regarding 
the  breeding  habits  of  the  weasel,  but  judging 
from  the  large  numbers  of  these  animals  found 
in  favorable  localities  I  would  say  that  they  are 
very  prolific. 

For  trapping  this  animal  I  recommend  the 
No.  14  trap  and  prefer  a  trap  that  is  loosely 
hinged  and  springs  easily,  such  as  the  Victor. 
Any  trap  will  hold  a  weasel  but  when  caught  in 
the  smaller  sizes  they  quite  often  double  up 
about  the  jaws  and  when  they  die  and  freeze 
in  that  position  it  is  difficult  to  remove  them 
from  the  trap.  With  the  1^  they  are  always 
caught  over  the  body  and  there  is  little  trouble 
from  that  source.  As  the  animal  is  so  very  light 
in  weight  it  is  necessary  that  the  trap  springs 
very  easily.  There  are  various  styles  of  rat 
traps  on  the  market  which  make  excellent  wea- 
sel traps,  but  as  one  never  knows  what  animal 
may  happen  along,  I  prefer  to  use  the  steel 
trap. 

My  method  of  setting  is  to  place  the  trap 
inside  of  a  small  enclosure  of  chunks  of  wood, 
bark,  sticks  or  whatever  is  most  convenient.  No 
covering  is  needed  but  when  setting  on  the  snow 
I  make  a  bed  of  evergreen  boughs  for  the  trap 
to  rest  on.  Eottert  wood  will  answer  just  a§ 


56  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

well.  I  fasten  the  bait  with  a  stick  just  back  of 
the  trap  so  that  the  weasel  will  be  obliged  to 
stand  on  the  trap  when  attempting  to  remove 
the  bait,  for  it  should  be  remembered  that  they 
will  never  eat  any  food  where  they  find  it  if  able 
to  move  it  away.  Fasten  the  trap  securely  for 
some  larger  animal  is  likely  to  be  caught.  I  do 
not  place  the  traps  far  apart,  where  tracks  are 
seen  in  fair  numbers,  and  I  drag  a  fresh  killed 
rabbit  from  set  to  set,  splitting  it  open  with  a 
knife  so  as  to  leave  a  bloody  trail.  Any  weasel 
that  strikes  the  trail  is  sure  to  follow  it. 

For  bait  I  prefer  rabbit  to  anything  else  as 
it  contains  more  blood  than  other  baits  and 
fresh  blood  is  the  only  scent  that  I  know  of 
which  will  attract  the  weasel. 

In  order  to  obtain  good  prices  it  is  neces- 
sary that  the  fur  be  kept  clean  and  I  use  a  small 
cloth  bag  in  which  to  carry  my  catch. 

The  tracks  of  the  weasel  resemble  those  of 
the  mink  but  are  considerably  smaller.  The 
average  length  of  jump  is  perhaps  about  eigh- 
teen inches. 


THE  MARTEN. 


57 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  MARTEN. 

CHE   marten   is  a   carnivorous  animal   be- 
longing to  the  same  family  as  the  weasel. 
The  principal  species  are  the  pine  inar- 
.  ten  of  North  America,  the  beech  or  stone 
marten  of  northern  Europe,  the  sable  of  Russia 
and  Siberia  and  the  Japanese  sable.     Natural- 
ists usually  class  the  fisher  with  the  martens, 
also.    The  Russian  sable  is  the  finest  of  the  mar- 
tens, the  pine  marten  of  Labrador  being  next  in 
value.     The  pine  marten  is  found  throughout 
the  timbered  regions  of  Canada  and  Alaska,  also 
in    the   mountainous    districts   of   the   western 
states.    A  few  are  still  found  in  northern  Minne- 
sota, Wisconsin,  Michigan,  New  York,  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire  and  Maine. 

In  size  the  marten  is  about  the  same  as  the 
mink  of  the  North  and  East,  being  somewhat 
lighter  in  the  body,  but  the  longer  fur  causes 
it  to  appear  fully  as  large.  It  has  longer  legs 
than  the  mink,  and  the  feet  are  larger  and 
heavily  furred.  The  tail  is  thick  and  bushy,  the 
ears  and  eyes,  large  and  the  muzzle  is  more 


THE  MARTEN.  59 

pointed  than  that  of  the  mink.  The  fur  is  very 
fine  and  soft,  the  color  varying  from  a  rich  yel- 
low to  almost  black.  The  fur  of  the  tail  is 
darker  than  that  of  the  body,  and  the  face, 
lighter.  The  ears,  on  the  edges,  are  greyish 
white  and  there  Is  always  a  yellow  or  orange 
spot  on  the  throat. 

In  the  more  southern  portions  of  their 
range,  the  martens  are  quite  pale.  The  finest 
and  darkest  skins  come  from  Labrador  and  the 
country  east  and  south  of  Hudson  Bay,  also 
from  northern  British  Columbia  and  the  inter- 
ior of  Alaska  and  the  Yukon  province.  The  mar- 
ten is  strictly  an  animal  of  the  woods,  being 
found  only  in  the  heavily  timbered  country. 
Their  favorite  haunts  are  in  the  rough,  broken 
country,  where  the  timber  is  of  various  kinds. 
They  feed  on  rabbits,  squirrels,  mice,  birds  and 
eggs  and  probably  have  no  trouble  in  obtaining 
a  sufficient  amount  of  food,  but  unlike  the  mink 
and  the  weasel,  they  never  kill  more  than  is 
needed  to  supply  their  wants. 

The  young  are  usually  born  in  April,  and 
there  are  from  three  to  five  at  a  birth.  Just 
where  they  make  their  dens  I  cannot  say.  Some 
writers  say  they  live  in  hollow  trees,  while  oth- 
ers assert  that  they  live  in  holes  in  the  rocks  or 
ground.  I  should  say  that  the  latter  idea  is 
most  likely  to  be  correct,  at  least  as  regards  the 


60  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

marten  of  the  far  north,  as  in  that  part  of  the 
country,  hollow  trees  are  few  and  far  between. 
One  peculiarity  regarding  the  martens  is  the 
fact  that  they  occasionally  disappear  from  a  lo- 
cality in  which  they  were  formerly  numerous. 
The  common  supposition  is  that  they  migrate 
to  new  feeding  grounds  when  food  becomes 
scarce. 

ifC  The  marten  travels  mostly  in  the  gullies 
and  depressions  on  the  mountains  and  hills.  As 
they  usually  follow  the  same  route,  when  one 
sees  their  tracks  in  such  a  place,  he  can  be  rea- 
sonably sure,  if  he  sets  his  trap  there,  that  he 
will  make  a  catch.  They  are  not  shy  or  suspic- 
ious and  are  easily  caught.  In  many  ways,  mar- 
ten trapping  is  the  most  pleasant  as  well  as  the 
most  profitable  kind  of  trapping.  As  they  are 
found  only  in  the  timbered  country,  the  trapper 
does  not  feel  the  storms  like  he  wrould  in  an 
open  country.  They  are  easily  caught,  light  to 
carry  and  easily  skinned.  Moreover,  they  are 
a  very  valuable  fur  and  if  one  is  in  a  good  lo- 
cality, he  will  make  a  large  catch  in  a  season. 
They  usually  become  prime  about  the  15th  of 
October  and  remain  in  good  condition  until  the 
last  of  March. 

In  countries  where  the  snow  does  not  fall 
too  deep,  the  traps  are  set  in  small  enclosures, 
the  same  as  for  the  mink.  If  there  is  snow  on 


THE  MARTEN.  61 

the  ground,  I  set  my  traps  as  follows.  With  my 
snowshoes,  I  tramp  the  snow  down  solid,  at  the 
foot  of  a  tree,  and  build  a  small  pen  of  stakes, 
or  chunks  split  from  an  old  stump.  The  stakes 
or  chunks,  are  arranged  so  as  to  form  the  sides 
of  the  pen  and  the  sides  are  placed  about  six  or 
seven  inches  apart,  the  tree  forming  the  back 
of  the  pen.  I  roof  the  pen  with  evergreen 
boughs,  to  protect  the  trap  from  the  falling 
snow.  It  is  a  good  idea  to  leave  a  couple  of 
boughs  hang  down  over  the  mouth  of  the  pen  so 
as  to  hide  the  bait  from  the  birds,  and  also  to 
prevent  the  rabbits  from  entering  the  pen.  I 
set  the  trap  on  a  bed  of  boughs,  just  inside  of 
the  pen,  and  cover  lightly  with  tips  of  evergreen. 
The  bait  is  placed  on  a  stick  behind  the  trap. 
I  fasten  the  trap  to  a  toggle,  but  if  only  marten 
is  expected,  the  trap  may  be  fastened  in  almost 
any  wdy,  as  they  seldom  escape.  It  is  also  a 
good  idea  to  bend  a  small  twig  and  place  it  un- 
der the  pan  of  the  trap,  to  prevent  it  from  being 
sprung  by  birds,  squirrels  and  weasels. 

For  bait,  rabbit,  partridge,  squirrel,  fish, 
small  birds  or  meat  of  almost  any  kind  is  good. 
The  Indians  sometimes  smoke-cure  salmon, 
pickerel,  or  white  fish,  for  marten  bait,  and 
other  trappers  use  putrefied  salmon  roe,  but  the 
majority  prefer  to  use  fresh  bait.  Some  trap- 
pers advise  dragging  a  piece  of  fresh,  bloody 


62 


SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 


meat  along  the  line,  to  lead  the  marten  to  the 
trap. 

Another  very  good  method  is  the  following  : 
Find  a  small  spruce,  about  three  inches  in  dia- 
meter and  cut  the  tree  about  two  feet  above  the 
snow,  leaving  the  top  of  the  stump  V  shape. 


A  Marten  Set. 

Draw  the  tree  forward  and  lay  it  over  the  stump, 
so  that  the  butt  of  the  tree  will  be  three  or 
three  and  a  half  feet  above  the  snow.  Now, 
about  a  foot  back  from  the  end,  flatten  off  a  place 
for  the  trap  and  set  the  trap  on  the  pole.  Tie 
the  trap  fast  with  a  light  string  and  loop  the 
chain  around  the  tree.  Split  the  butt  of  the 


THE  MARTEN.  63 

tree,  and  fasten  the  bait  in  the  split.  This  is  a 
very  good  set,  possessing  advantages  o'ver  most 
methods.  The  birds  can  not  eat  the  bait,  the 
trap  is  not  bothered  by  weasels  or  rabbits,  the 
marten  must  stand  on  the  trap  when  trying 
to  get  the  bait,  and  when  caught,  falls  off  the 
pole  and  can  not  get  back. 

In  the  mountains,  where  the  snow  falls 
deep,  the  traps  are  set  on  the  trees,  five  or  six 
feet  above  the  snow.  The  most  common  way,  is 
to  make  two  cuts  in  the  tree  with  an  axe,  and 
drive  in  two  wooden  pegs,  about  five  inches 
apart.  Set  the  trap  and  place  it  on  the  pegs, 
one  peg  passing  through  the  bow  of  the  spring, 
the  other  between  the  jaws  and  the  bottom  of 
the  trap.  Draw  the  chain  around  the  tree  and 
staple  solidly.  The  bait  is  pinned  to  the  tree, 
about  a  foot  above  the  trap.  A  bunch  of  boughs 
may  be  placed  over  the  bait  to  hide  it  from  the 
birds. 

If  desired,  a  notch  may  be  ,cut  in  the  tree 
and  a  trap  set  in  the  notch.  The  notch  should 
be  about  four  inches  deep  and  about  twelve 
inches  from  top  to  bottom.  Cut  the  bottom 
smooth,  so  the  trap  will  set  solid  and  fasten  the 
bait  in  the  top  of  the  notch.  Staple  the  trap  to 
the  tree.  If  desired,  you  can  lean  a  pole  against 
the  tree  for  the  marten  to  run  up  on,  but  this  is 
not  necessary. 


64  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

The  trapper  should  always  be  on  the  loot 
out  for  places  in  which  the  trap  may  be  set 
without  much  labor.  Sometimes  a  tree  can  be 
found,  with  a  hollow  in  one  side  and  this  makes 
a  good  place  for  a  set.  Lean  a  pole  against  the 
tree,  with  one  end  resting  in  the  hollow,  set  a 
trap  on  the  pole  and  place  a  bait  in  the  cavity 
above  the  trap.  At  other  times  a  cavity  may  be 
made  in  the  side  of  a  rotten  stub  and  a  trap  set 
in  the  same  way.  The  traps  recommended  fof 
marten  are  the  No.  1  of  any  make,  but  the  No.  0 
Newhouse  is  much  used.  If  there  are  fishers,  lynx 
and  other  large  animals  about,  it  is  best  to  use 
a  No.  1£  trap.  Deadfalls  are  also  used  and  they 
may  be  built  on  the  ground  or  snow,  or  on  the 
top  of  a  stump,  or  the  side  of  a  tree.  The  track 
of  the  marten  resembles  that  of  the  mink,  except 
that  it  is  a  trifle  larger  and  the  footprint  wider 
in  proportion  to  the  length.  The  toes  do  not 
make  as  clear  a  print  as  do  those  of  the  mink, 
the  feet  being  more  heavily  furred. 


The  Fisher. 
(65) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  FISHER. 

CHE  fisher  belongs  to  the  \\;easel  family  and 
is  classed  by  naturalists  among  the  mar- 
tens, under  the  name  of  Pennant's  Mar- 
ten.    To  the  trappers,  however,  it  is  best 
known  as  the  fisher,  and  in  the  Eastern  States 
and  Eastern  Canada,  as  the  "black  cat".    It  is 
strictly  a  North  American  animal,  being  found 
scattered    over   a    large    part    of    Canada    and 
Alaska,  and  also  in  California  and  other  parts 
of  the  Pacific   Coast,   Northern   Michigan,   tlie 
Adirondack  mountains  of  New  York,  the  White 
mountains  of  New  Hampshire  and  in  Northern 
Maine. 

In  general  appearance,  the  fisher  resembles 
both  the  marten  and  the  wolverine,  but  is  larger 
than  the  former  and  smaller  than  the  latter. 
Compared  with  the  marten,  the  ears  are  smaller 
and  more  rounded,  the  tail  longer  and  the  ani- 
mal is  far  more  stoutly  built.  An  average,  full 
size  fisher,  will  measure  two  feet  from  the  nose 
to  the  root  of  the  tail  and  will  weigh  from  ten 
to  fifteen  pounds.  The  tail  is  peculiar,  and  is 

66 


THE  FISHER.  67 

the  most  valuable  part  of  the  skin;  It  measures, 
usually,  about  sixteen  inches  in  length,  is  heav- 
ily furred,  thick  at  the  base,  and  tapers  to  a 
point.  The  color  of  the  fur  varies,  some  speci- 
mens being  very  pale  and  others  almost  black. 
The  general  color  is  a  yellowish  grey  on  the 
face,  head  and  neck,  light  brown  on  the  back, 
dark  brown  on  the  hind-quarters  and  the  tail 
and  legs,  a  brownish  black.  The  under  parts 
are  darker  than  the  back.  The  fur  is  fairly  fine 
and  soft,  though  not  nearly  as  fine  as  that  of 
the  marten. 

For  its  size,  the  fisher  is  an  exceedingly 
powerful  animal,  and  is  rather  hard  to  hold  in 
a  trap,  as  it  will  struggle  as  long  as  life  lasts. 
The  animal  possesses  a  musk,  having  a  peculiar, 
rank  odor,  which  it  ejects  when  alarmed.  The 
food  of  the  fisher  consists  principally  of  rabbits, 
partridges  and  other  small  animals  and  birds, 
but  it  will  scarcely  refuse  anything  in  the  line 
of  flesh,  occasionally  eating  mink,  weasel,  etc., 
out  of  traps.  It  also  preys  on  raccoons  in  the 
parts  of  its  range  where  those  animals  are  found 
and  sometimes  kills  and  eats  the  porcupine. 
Neither  is  it  a  strictly  carnivorous  animal,  as 
it  feeds  largely  on  the  berries  of  the  mountain 
ash  and  in  seasons  when  these  berries  are  plen- 
tiful, the  fisher  does  not  .take  bait  well.  At  such 


68  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

times  the  Indian  trappers  will  often  use  a  bunch 
of  mountain  ash  berries  for  bait. 

They  are  found  most  plentiful  on  the  higher 
ground,  where  the  land  is  fairly  well  timbered, 
and  the  surface  of  the  country  is  very  ragged. 
They  are  great  travelers  and  follow  the  wooded 
ravines  whenever  possible.  Like  all  other  animals 
of  a  rambling  nature,  each  individual  has  its 
regular  route  of  travel,  and  when  you  see  a 
track,  especially  in  a  ravine,  you  may  be  sure 
that  the  animal  will  come  that  way  again.  The 
fur  becomes  prime  about  the  first  of  November, 
and  remains  in  good  condition  until  the  first  of 
April,  or  sometimes  longer.  They  are  not  very 
prolific,  there  being  only  from  two  to  four  in  a 
litter.  The  young  are  usually  born  in  April. 

Usually,  the  fisher  is  easily  trapped  and 
will  enter  the  trap  as  readily  as  the  marten,  but 
there  are  "off  seasons"  when  food  is  plenty  and 
the  animals  are  rather  shy.  On  such  occasions 
I  have  seen  them  refuse  to  cross  my  trail  in  the 
snow.  In  most  cases,  however,  they  will  jump 
into  the  trail  and  follow  it  to  the  trap.  When 
trapped,  the  animal  struggles  violently  and  if 
the  leg  is  broken,  is  likely  to  twist  off  the  foot 
and  escape.  It  will  also  chew  up  everything 
within  reach  and  the  traps  must  be  well  fas- 
tened. The  use  of  a  balance  pole  is  advised,  but 
where,  for  any  reason,  it  cannot  be  used,  the 


THE  FISHEE.  69 

traps  should  be  fastened  to  a  heavy  log.  The 
most  common  method  for  trapping  the  fisher  is 
by  setting  a  trap  in  a  pen  of  stakes  or  a  natural 
enclosure,  the  same  as  recommended  for  marten, 
but  the  pen  should  be  larger.  It  should  be  two 
feet  high,  wide  at  the  top  and  just  wide  enough 
for  the  trap  at  the  bottom. 

The  bait  should  be  placed  on  a  stick  in  the 
back  of  the  pen  and  the  trap  should  be  covered 
with  some  light  material.  The  pen  should  be 
roofed  with  evergreen  boughs,  to  protect  the  trap 
from  the  snow.  It  is  the  custom  among  the  In- 
dian trappers  to  make  the  trap  pen  of  green 
wood,  splitting  it  and  placing  the  stakes  so  that 
the  split  side  will  be  inward.  The  object  in  this 
is  to  enable  the  animal  to  more  easily  locate 
the  bait,  for  sometimes  when  the  fisher  scents 
the  bait  but  cannot  find  it  at  once,  he  moves  on. 
If  however,  the  pen  presents  a  bright  interior 
it  attracts  the  animal's  attention  and  leads  to  an 
investigation.  This  method  is  used  generally, 
but  should  not  be  employed  when  setting  for  the 
more  wary  animals. 

The  Indians  also  at  times  hang  the  bait  by  a 
piece  of  light  wire,  in  preference  to  placing  on  a 
stick.  This  is  so  that  the  little  wood-mice  can 
not  reach  and  destroy  the  bait,  and  I  have  found 
it  to  be  a  very  good  plan.  A  small  twig  should 


70  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

be  placed  under  the  pan  of  the  trap  to  prevent 
squirrels  and  birds  from  springing  it. 

For  trapping  the  fisher,  I  recommend  the 
No.  1|  traps  of  all  makes,  also  the  No.  2  Victor 
and  Oneida  Jump  traps.  Mr.  Charles  Carner,  a 
noted  trapper  of  California,  uses  the  following 
method.  Find  somewhere  on  the  fisher's  route 
of  travel,  a  small  bushy  evergreen  tree  with 
limbs  coming  down  to  the  ground,  cut  away  a 
few  of  the  limbs,  on  one  side,  so  as  to  make  a 
sort  of  enclosure.  The  limbs  that  are  cut  away 
should  be  stuck  in  at  the  sides  and  back  to  make 
the  pen  tighter.  The  bait  should  be  tied  to  the 
stem  of  the  tree  and  the  trap  set  a  short  distance 
in  front  of  the  bait,  so  as  to  catch  the  animal 
by  the  fore  foot.  The  trap  is  fastened  securely 
to  the  butt  of  the  tree.  Mr.  Carner  recommends 
the  use  of  the  following  scent.  Fish  oil,  oil  of 
anise,  assafoetida  and  muskrat  musk,  thoroughly 
mixed.  He  saturates  a  rabbit  with  the  scent  and 
draws  it  from  trap  to  trap,  and  on  the  last  trap 
uses  the  rabbit  for  bait.  This  scent  is  also  used 
by  some  other  noted  trappers. 

I  have  also  caught  fishers  by  building  a  pen 
on  an  old  log,  lying  with  one  end  above  the 
ground.  I  would  make  some  splits  in  the  log 
with  my  axe,  drive  in  a  few  stakes  and  weave 
evergreen  boughs  among  the  stakes,  roofing  the 
pen  with  boughs.  The  trap  should  be  set  the 


THE   FISHER  71 

same  as  in  the  first  method  and  should  be  stapled 
to  the  top  of  the  log,  so  that  when  the  animal 
jumps  off  on  either  side,  he  can  not  get  his  front 
feet  or  the  trap  down  to  the  ground.  The  above 
methods  are  all  very  good,  but  if  a  particularly 
shy  animal  refuses  to  enter  the  pen,  try  setting 
in  a  natural  enclosure,  and  if  this  fails,  try  the 
following  method: 

Under  some  thick  evergreen  tree,  scrape  up 
a  cone  shaped  pile  of  snow,  making  it  two  feet 
high  and  pack  the  snow  solid.  Have  the  trap 
fastened  to  a  clog  and  bury  the  clog  in  the  snow. 
In  the  very  top  of  the  mound,  hollow  out  a  place 
for  the  trap  and  line  this  place  with  evergreen 
tips.  Set  the  trap  in  this  nest,  cover  it  with  a 
piece  of  paper,  and  brush  a  half  inch  of  snow 
lightly  over  the  paper.  For  bait,  use  a  whole 
partridge  or  rabbit  and  hang  it  by  a  string  from 
a  limb  of  the  tree,  so  that  it  hangs  about  two  and 
a  half  feet  above  the  trap. 

Brush  your  tracks  shut  with  a  bunch  of 
boughs  and  when  looking  at  the  trap  do  not  go 
too  close.  This  method  is  very  good  for  the  shy 
ones  but  is  too  much  trouble  to  use  as  a  regular 
set,  when  putting  out  a  long  line  of  traps.  The 
best  places  in  which  to  set  for  fishers  is  in  the 
timbered  ravines,  especially  where  two  ravines 
join.  Other  good  places  are  at  the  ends  of  lakes, 


72  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

the  points  of  swamps,  and  in  narrow  strips  of 
timber  connecting  larger  bodies. 

The  track  of  the  fisher  is  very  similar  to 
that  of  the  marten  but  is  larger.  The  length  of 
jump  is  about  three  feet  and  the  footprints  from 
one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  length. 


THE  OTTER. 


73 


H 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  OTTER. 

CHE  otter  is  a  carnivorous  animal,  somewhat 
resembling  the  mink  in  appearance.    They 
are  found  in  various  parts  of  the  world 
and  will  be  met  with  in  most  of  the  wilder 
parts  of  North  America.    The  northern  or  Cana- 
dian otter  is  the  most  common,  but  there  are 
other  varieties  known  as  the  Carolina  otter,  the 
Florida  otter  and  the  Newfoundland  otter.     In 
habits  and  general  appearance  they  are  all  simi- 
lar. 

A  distinct  species  is  found  in  the  North  Pa- 
cific, and  is  known  as  the  sea  otter.  This  animal 
is  considerably  larger  than  the  fresh  water  spe- 
cies, and  has  a  shorter  tail.  The  fur  is  of  great 
value. 

The  otter  is  an  aquatic  animal,  living  in  and 
near  the  streams  and  lakes,  and  getting  its  living 
from  them.  It  has  a  long  body,  short,  stout  legs, 
and  webbed  feet;  the  tail  is  long,  thick  at  the 
base,  and  tapering  to  a  point.  The  neck  is  thick, 
the  head  comparatively  small,  with  small  ears, 
set  well  down  on  the  sides  of  the  head.  The  for 

74 


THE  OTTER.  75 

is  of  two  kinds,  the  under  fur  being  fine,  soft 
and  wavy,  and  of  a  light  silvery  color;  while  the 
outer  fur  or  guard  hairs,  are  longer,  coarser,  and 
usually  straight,  the  color  varying  from  brown 
to  almost  black.  The  fur  of  the  tail  and  under 
parts  is  shorter  and  stiffer  than  that  on  the  back, 
sides  and  neck;  that  on  the  under  parts  having 
a  silvery  tint.  Otters  frequently  measure  three 
and  one-half  feet  in  length  and  weigh  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty-five  pounds.  The  skin,  when 
stretched,  will  often  measure  five  feet  from  tip 
to  tip,  and  sometimes  even  more. 

The  food  of  the  otter  consists  principally  of 
fish,  trout  being  their  favorite  food;  but  they 
also  feed  on  muskrats,  clams,  frogs,  and  the 
smaller  animal  life,  found  in  the  beds  of  streams 
and  lakes. 

They  capture  muskrats  by  entering  their 
houses  and  their  holes  in  the  banks. 

Otters  usually  make  burrows  in  the  banks 
of  streams,  lining  the  nest  with  leaves  and  grass. 
The  entrances  to  these  burrows  are  under  the 
water  and  it  is  my  belief  that  they  inhabit  them 
only  during  the  breeding  season.  The  young  are 
born  in  April  and  May  and  there  are  from  two 
to  four  in  a  litter. 

The  otter  is  a  great  traveler,  following  the 
lakes  and  water  courses,  sometimes  going  a  dis- 
tance of  one  hundred  miles  on  a  single  trip.  Ap- 


76  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

parently  lie  is  always  in  a  great  hurry  to  reach 
a  certain  place,  some  lake  or  pond,  at  which,  hav- 
ing reached,  he  may  remain  for  several  months, 
and  again  he  may  leave  immediately  after  his  ar- 
rival. 

Otters  sometimes  have  slides  on  the  banks 
of  streams,  down  which  they  slide  into  the  water, 
apparently  for  pastime.  They  also  have  landing 
places  on  the  banks  of  streams  and  on  logs  pro- 
jecting into  the  water,  where  they  go  to  roll  in 
the  grass  and  leaves,  or  to  lie  in  the  sun.  These 
places  are  seldom  visited  in  the  fall,  but  in  the 
spring,  they  will  land  at  almost  every  place  as 
they  come  along. 

In  traveling,  they  usually  follow  the  center  of 
the  stream,  as  they  are  more  at  home  in  the 
water  than  on  land.  In  winter  they  travel  under 
the  ice,  wherever  the  water  is  deep  enough  to  al- 
low of  their  passage.  The  otter's  legs  being  very 
short,  he  has  a  peculiar  method  of  traveling  on 
the  ice  or  snow.  He  throws  himself  forward, 
sliding  on  his  belly,  and  by  repeating  the  move 
in  rapid  succession,  is  enabled  to  get  along  at  a 
surprising  rate  of  speed. 

Wherever  there  is  a  sharp  bend  in  the 
rtream,  the  otter  will  make  a  short  cut  across 
the  point,  and  if  the  stream  is  traveled  much, 
you  will  find  a  well-defined  trail  in  such  a  place. 
Where  two  streams  lie  close  together,  they  some- 


THE  OTTER.  77 

times  have  a  trail  from  one  stream  to  another. 
Also  wherever  a  long  point  of  land  projects  into 
a  lake,  they  are  likely  to  have  a  trail  across  the 
point. 

The  otter  appears  to  be  on  very  friendly 
terms  with  the  beaver,  and  if  there  are  any  beav- 
ers in  the  country,  the  otter  is  sure  to  find  them 
and  will  spend  considerable  time  in  the  same 
pond.  When  there  are  a  number  of  families  of 
beavers  in  the  same  locality,  the  otter  will  spend 
nearly  all  of  its  time  with  the  beavers,  visiting 
from  one  family  to  another.  Wherever  he  finds 
beaver  cutting  along  the  stream,  he  examines  it, 
and  will  most  likely  follow  up  the  stream  to  find 
the  beaver.  This  habit  is  taken  advantage  of  by 
the  Indian  trappers  of  the  north,  as  will  be  ex- 
plained later. 

In  the  north,  the  otter  becomes  prime  about 
the  first  week  in  November,  and  remains  in  good 
condition  until  about  the  first  of  June.  In  the 
south  they  are  seldom  prime  until  the  first  of 
December,  and  commence  to  shed  from  the  first 
to  the  fifteenth  of  April.  The  fur  of  the  otter 
is  valuable,  the  dark,  straight  haired  ones  being 
worth  the  most.  Occasionally  an  otter  is  found 
having  a  decided  curl  to  the  ends  of  the  hair, 
the  ends  being  turned  forward.  These  are  called 
"curly"  otters  and  are  not  near  so  valuable  as 
the  others. 


78  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

Otters  are  found  in  good  numbers  in  the 
swamps  of  the  southern  states;  in  Florida,  Ar- 
kansas, Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  the  lowlands 
of  Texas.  They  are  also  quite  plentiful  in  some 
parts  of  Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire,  Ver- 
mont and  Maine;  also  in  the  wilds  of  Labrador, 
Ungava,  Quebec,  Ontario,  Yukon,  Mackenzie  and 
Alaska.  The  most  valuable  otters  come  from  the 
far  north,  but  they  are  probably  more  plentiful 
in  the  south,  and  the  southern  trapper  has  the 
advantage  of  having  open  water  all  winter. 

The  best  traps  for  otter  are  the  numbers  2J, 
3  and  3^  Newhouse;  the  Nos.  3  and  4  Hawley 
&  Norton ;  and  the  No.  14  Oneida  jump,  also  the 
"Seminole"  pattern,  Blake  &  Lamb. 

The  point  to  keep  in  mind  when  trapping 
for  otter,  is  that  they  are  very  shy  of  the  scent 
of  man ;  more  so  perhaps  than  any  other  animal, 
and  unless  great  care  is  observed,  are  likely  to 
be  frightened  entirely  out  of  the  locality  in 
which  you  are  trapping.  This  human  scent 
theory  is  disputed  by  some  trappers,  but  I  speak 
from  my  own  experience,  and  from  the  experi- 
ence of  many  expert  trappers  with  whom  I  am 
acquainted.  If  one  will  use  a  little  judgment  he 
will  readily  understand  why  human  scent  is 
alarming  to  many  wild  animals.  Man  is  the 
natural  enemy  of  all  wild  animal  life,  and  all 
wild  creatures  realize  this  fact.  Now  you  will  see 


THE  OTTER.  79 

that  any  indications  of  the  presence  of  man,  puts 
the  animal  on  its  guard;  especially  is  this  the 
case  in  the  wilderness  where  the  animals  are  not 
accustomed  to  seeing  the  tracks  of  man  wherever 
they  go.  When  an  animals  finds  human  scent, 
he  has  positive  proof  that  man  has  been  in  that 
vicinity. 

Footprints  and  other  human  signs,  if  there 
is  no  scent,  are  not  so  alarming,  as  they  are 
likely  to  be  mistaken  for  signs  made  by 
some  wild  animal.  Although  the  animals  of  the 
wilderness  are  more  afraid  of  human  scent  than 
those  found  in  the  settled  countries,  they  are  just 
as  easily  trapped.  The  more  wary  animals  found 
in  settled  parts,  are  always  looking  for  danger 
because  of  the  continued  presence  of  man  in  their 
locality,  but  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  not 
likely  to  be  frightened  by  human  scent  because 
it  is  a  common  thing  to  them. 

As  mentioned  before  the  otter  is  sure  to 
visit  the  beavers,  if  there  are  any  about,  so  if 
you  know  of  a  family  of  beavers,  go  to  that  place 
and  if  you  can  find  an  old'  beaver  dam,  on  the 
stream  somewhere,  below  where  the  beavers  are 
located,  make  a  break  in  the  center  of  this  dam, 
so  that  all  of  the  water  will  flow  through  this 
opening,  and  set  the  trap  in  the  water,  in  the 
upper  end  of  this  passage.  Narrow  down  the  pas- 
sage to  about  eight  inches,  by  driving  a  few  old 


80  SCIENCE   OF  TRAPPING. 

stakes  on  each  side  of  the  trap.  The  trap  may 
be  staked,  but  it  is  better,  if  the  water  is  deep 
enough,  to  use  a  sliding  pole,  so  that  the  cap- 
tured animal  will  drown.  No  covering  is  needed 
on  the  trap,  but  after  it  is  set,  the  entire  setting 
should  be  drenched  with  water,  to  remove  the 
human  scent.  This  is  an  excellent  set  and  will 
remain  in  working  order  until  late  in  the  fall, 
as  the  water  immediately  above  the  break  in  the 
dam  will  not  freeze  until  long  after  other  water 
is  closed  by  ice.  Even  in  the  coldest  weather 
this  set  may  be  kept  from  freezing  by  roofing  it 
over  with  evergreen  boughs,  and  banking  it  well 
with  snow. 

Beavers  and  beaver  dams  are  not  found  in 
every  locality,  but  wherever  otters  are  found 
traveling  on  small  streams,  they  may  be  trapped 
in  the  following  manner: 

Find  a  narrow  place  in  the  stream,  where 
the  water  flows  smoothly,  and  narrow  up  the 
stream  by  placing  a  bunch  of  old  dead  brush  in 
each  side,  leaving  a  passage  of  about  eight  inches 
in  the  middle.  Lay  a  few  stones  among  the 
brush  to  keep  them  in  place.  Set  the  trap  in  the 
opening,  and  splash  water  over  the  brush  and 
banks.  The  trap  may  be  staked  but  it  is  better 
to  fasten  to  a  clog.  Cut  a  small  sapling  of  such 
a  size  that  the  ring  of  the  chain  will  just  pass 
over  the  butt  of  the  sapling.  Slip  the  ring  over 


THE  OTTER.  81 

the  clog  and  fasten  it  by  splitting  the  butt  and 
drive  a  wedge  in  the  split,  or  by  driving  a  staple 
over  the  ring.  The  clog  may  be  placed  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  brush,  used  to  block  the  stream, 
and  the  top  may  be  tied  to  the  shore,  so  that  it 
will  not  be  carried  away  by  high  water.  In  very 
small  streams,  a  narrow  passage  may  be  made, 
by  simply  placing  a  few  stones  in  either  side, 
leaving  a  narrow  passage  in  the  middle,  in  which 
to  set  the  trap. 

When  you  can  find  a  sharp  bend  in  the 
stream,  with  a  trail  across  the  point,  set  the 
trap  in  the  water,  at  the  end  of  the  trail.  Use 
same  care  as  advised  for  the  other  sets. 

For  spring  trapping  this  method  is  excellent : 
if  you  can  find  one  of  the  otter's  landing  places 
on  the  bank,  prepare  the  place  for  setting  in  the 
fall  in  the  following  manner:  Make  a  nest  for 
the  trap  in  the  center  of  the  trail  and  fill  the 
nest  with  grass  and  leaves.  Lay  a  bunch  of  dead 
brush  or  a  chunk  of  rotten  wood  on  each  side  of 
the  trail,  so  as  to  leave  only  a  narrow  passage 
and  cut  a  clog  and  lay  it  in  place.  The  otters 
seldom  visit  these  places  in  the  fall,  so  there  is 
no  danger  of  frightening  them.  In  the  spring, 
before  the  snow  is  all  gone,  go  and  set  your  trap 
in  the  place  prepared,  covering  with  the  leaves 
and  grass,  and  attach  to  the  clog,  covering  the 

6 


82 


SCIENCE   OP   TRAPPING. 


entire  setting  with  a  little  snow.  As  the  snow 
melts,  it  takes  with  it  all  of  the  scent  and  signs, 
leaving  the  trap  ready  for  the  first  otter  that 
comes  along. 

If  you  do  not  find  the  landing  places  until 
after  the  snow  is  gone,  set  the  traps  just  the 
same,  washing  the  scent  away  by  sprinkling  with 
water,  or  set  the  traps  in  the  water  where  the 
otter  climbs  up  the  bank. 


Ice 


Water 


Otter  Trap  Set  Under  Ice. 

Another  very  good  method  for  spring  trap- 
ping, is  to  set  the  trap  in  the  edge  of  the  water, 
where  the  bank  bluffs  a  little,  sticking  up  a  few 
fresh  cut,  green  sticks  behind  the  trap,  and  at 
the  sides.  Post  a  piece  of  the  dried  oil  castor  of 
the  beaver  on  a  stick,  behind  the  trap,  and  about 
ten  inches  high.  The  ordinary  beaver  castor 
is  also  good.  The  oil  castor  is  very  attractive  to 


THE  OTTER.  83 

the  otter,  and  the  green  sticks  are  also  attrac- 
tive, as  the  otter  mistakes  them  for  beaver  cut- 
ting. Always  fasten  the  trap  so  the  animal  will 
drown,  as  you  are  likely  to  catch  a  beaver  in 
this  set. 

One  of  the  best  methods  of  trapping  otter  in 
winter,  after  the  streams  are  closed  with  ice,  is 
as  follows:  Find  a  long  pool  of  still  water, 
where  you  are  sure  the  otter  wTill  be  traveling 
under  the  ice,  and  at  either  end  of  this  pool, 
where  the  water  is  about  ten  inches  deep,  cut 
a  hole  through  the  ice,  make  a  pen  of  dead  sticks 
in  the  water,  making  the  pen  about  nine  inches 
wide,  by  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  deep.  Now 
take  a  fish  and  fasten  it  to  a  stick,  in  the  back  r 
of  the  pen,  and  set  the  trap  in  the  entrance, 
staking  it  securely.  Drive  the  stake  about  ten 
inches  in  front  of  the  pen,  and  directly  in  front 
of  the  trap.  The  object  in  this  is  to  cause  the 
otter,  in  entering,  to  twist  Ms  body,  in  which 
act,  he  will  put  his  foot  down  in  the  trap. 
Throw  some  snow  in  the  hole,  so  it  will  freeze 
over.  The  bait  should  be  renewed  once  a  week. 
In  case  you  cannot  get  fish  for  bait,  use  the  head 
of  a  rabbit,  the  breast  of  a  partridge,  or  a  piece 
of  muskrat.  The  bait  should  be  skinned. 

The  otter  wrill  also  be  attracted  by  any  white 
object.  I  know  a  trapper  who  caught  one  in  this 
way  by  baiting  with  a  white  door  knob,  and  the 


84  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

Indians  sometimes  use  a  piece  of  fresh  peeled 
poplar  for  bait. 

If  the  ice  has  formed  when  the  water  was 
above  its  usual  level,  there  will  be  an  air  space, 
between  the  water  and  the  ice.  In  such  a  case, 
cut  a  .hole  through  the  ice  at  the  edge  of  the 
water,  placing  a  piece  of  beaver  castor  on  a  stick 
behind  the  trap.  The  hole  may  be  closed  by 
covering  with  a  block  of  ice. 

When  the  otter  has  been  working  on  a  lake 
for  some  time,  you  will  find  where  he  has  been 
coming  out  at  the  springholes,  which  are  found 
on  nearly  all  lakes.  In  such  places  the  water 
is  always  shallow,  and  a  trap  may  be  set  on  the 
bottom  directly  under  the  hole.  Great  care  must 
be  used  however,  for  if  the  otter  is  not  caught  the 
first  time  he  comes  out,  he  will  be  frightened 
away. 

Otters  often  land  on  the  logs  which  project 
into  the  water.  When  you  can  find  such  a  log, 
cut  a  notch  for  a  trap,  so  that  it  will  set  about 
two  inches  deep,  and  place  some  mud  in  the 
notch  so  as  to  hide  the  fresh  cutting.  Some  very 
successful  trappers,  set  their  traps  in  this  way, 
and  place  some  good  scent  on  the  log,  above  the 
trap. 

If  you  can  find  an  otter  slide,  find  the  place 
where  the  animal  lands  on  the  bank  to  visit  the 


THE  OTTER.  85 

slide,  and  set  the  trap  under  about  two  inches  of 
water. 

The  Nos.  2£  and  3^  Newhouse  traps  were 
designed  especially  for  trapping  otters  on  their 
slides.  The  trap  should  be  set  at  the  foot  of  the 
slide,  so  as  to  catch  the  animal  by  the  breast  or 
body. 

Otters  often  travel  in  pairs,  and  it  is  usu- 
ally advisable  to  set  two  or  three  traps  on  one 
stream. 

Do  not  make  your  camp  near  the  stream, 
and  do  not  travel  along  the  stream  more  than 
necessary.  In  looking  at  the  traps,  do  not  go 
too  close,  unless  the  traps  need  your  attention. 

There  is  no  way  in  which  the  sea  otter  can 
be  trapped  and  they  are  hunted  only  with  rifles. 
The  methods  employed  in  hunting  them  have 
been  very  successful  and  as  a  consequence  the 
animal  has  been  practically  exterminated. 

The  track  of  the  otter  is  peculiar,  owing  to 
their  strange  mode  of  travel.  As  before  men- 
tioned their  method  of  travel  is  a  series  of  plung- 
ing slides  and  in  the  snow  they  make  a  deep  fur- 
row, their  footprints  being  from  four  to  eight 
feet  apart,  according  to  the  "sliding  conditions". 
When  two  or  more  are  traveling  in  company, 
they  will  usually  all  run  in  the  same  trail.  Their 
tracks  are  as  a  rule,  only  seen  on  lakes  and 


86  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

r 

streams,  but  occasionally  they  will  go  overland 
from  one  stream  to  another.  The  footprints  will 
measure  about  one  and  one-half  or  one  and  three- 
fourths  inches  in  length  and  about  the  same  in 
width. 


THE  BEAVER. 


87 


CHAPTER  VIIL 

THE  BEAVER. 

PTiy  «HEN  this  country  was  first  explored 
J  •  and  settled,   beavers   were   found   in 

•LmV  good  numbers  throughout  the  United 
State  and  Canada,  but  at  present  they 
are  extinct  in  many  of  the  states  where  they 
were  once  abundant.  Today  they  are  found  in 
fair  numbers  throughout  the  greater  part  of 
Canada  and  Alaska,  also  in  a  few  of  the  northern 
and  western  states.  There  are  also  a  few  beav- 
ers found  in  the  south  at  the  present  time.  How- 
ever, many  of  the  states,  as  well  as  some  of  the 
provinces  of  Canada,  have  made  laws  prohibit- 
ing the  trapping  or  killing  of  beavers,  to  prevent 
them  from  being  exterminated. 

The  beaver  is  an  amphibious  animal,  re- 
sembling the  muskrat  in  appearance  but  much 
larger.  It  has  the  same  thick,  heavy  body,  short 
neck  and  scaly  tail.  The  hind  feet  are  large  and 
strong  and  the  toes  are  connected  by  a  web ;  the 
front  feet  are  small.  The  tail  is  "paddle 
shaped,"  four  or  five  inches  wide  and  about  ten 
inches  long.  When  full  grown,  the  beaver  will 


THE   BEAVER.  ,    89 

weigh  from  forty  to  fifty  pounds,  although  oc- 
casionally a  much  larger  one  is  found.  The  un- 
der fur  is  very  fine  and  soft,  and  is  mixed  with 
longer  and  coarser  hairs  called  "guard  hairs". 
The  prevailing  color  is  a  rich,  reddish  brown,  on 
the  back  and  sides,  and  ashy  beneath. 

The  food  of  the  beaver  consists  mostly  of 
bark,  of  such  woods  as  poplar,  birch,  willow  and 
cottonwood,  as  well  as  the  roots  of  the  water 
lily.  In  the  south  they  also  eat  corn. 

Beavers  build  houses  of  sticks,  stones,  and 
mud,  similar  in  shape  to  the  houses  of  the  musk- 
rat,  locating  usually,  in  the  edge, of  a  pond  or 
lake,  but  often  making  a  large  pond  to  suit  their 
requirements,  by  building  a  dam  across  the 
stream.  Even  when  their  houses  are  built  on  a 
lake  or  pond,  they  always  build  a  dam  across  the 
outlet,  so  as  to  raise  the  water  two  or  three  feet. 

The  dams  are  built  of  the  same  material  as 
the  houses.  Sometimes  there  are  one  or  two 
small  dams  found  below  the  main  dam,  and 
they  are  so  well  made  that  they  will  last  for 
many  years,  and  are  so  tight  that  the  water  us- 
ually drips  evenly  over  the  top. 

The  houses  are  also  very  well  made,  the 
walls  being  several  feet  in  thickness.  There  are 
usually  two  entrances,  both  under  water.  The 
size  and  general  shape  of  the  house  depends  on 
the  number  of  beavers  inhabiting  it.  The  house 


90  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

of  a  full  family  of  beavers  will  usually  measure 
about  twelve  feet  in  diameter  at  the  water  line, 
but  will  some  times  be  even  larger,  and  the 
height  is  about  six  or  seven  feet.  When  there 
are  only  two  or  three  beavers,  the  house  is  much 
smaller,  and  more  pointed  on  the  top. 

A  full  family  consists  of  from  six  to  eight 
members.  There  are  usually  two  old  beavers, 
two  or  three  two  year  olds,  and  two  or  three 
young.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  the  young 
beavers  remain  two  years  with  the  parents,  and 
as  it  requires  several  years  for  them  to  grow 
their  full  size,  there  are  always  three  sizes  in 
a  family.  When  they  have  reached  the  age  of 
two  years,  they  start  out  and  make  a  house  of 
their  own,  the  beavers  born  the  spring  before, 
becoming  the  medium  size,  and  a  new  litter  tak- 
ing their  place.  By  autumn,  the  beavers  that 
have  left  the  main  family  have  their  house  and 
dam  completed  and  a  store  of  food  laid  up  for 
winter. 

Many  of  the  beavers  travel  about  through 
the  summer,  following  the  streams,  and  return  to 
their  homes  early  in  the  fall.  Sometimes,  if  they 
are  late  in  getting  back  they  will  have  to  work 
day  and  night,  in  order  to  get  sufficient  food 
gathered  for  winter,  before  the  ice  comes.  This 
food  consists  of  saplings  and  small  trees,  which 
they  gnaw  off  about  a  foot  above  the  ground, 


THE  BEAVER.  91 

drag  into  the  edge  of  the  water,  where  they  are 
cut  up  into  pieces  of  different  lengths,  stored 
away,  under  water  in  front  of  the  house.  Just 
how  they  cause  this  wood  to  sink,  remain  in 
place  under  the  water,  is  a  mystery.  The  beav- 
er spends  the  entire  winter  under  the  ice.  When 
he  feels  hungry  he  goes  out  and  gets  a  piece  of 
wood,  takes  it  into  the  house,  eats  the  bark,  and 
takeg  the  peeled  stick  out  again.  They  repair 
the  house  and  dam  each  fall  and  they  also  make 
holes  in  the  bank  under  water,  to  which  they  can 
retreat  in  case  the  house  is  disturbed,  or  when 
they  hear  a  noise  on  the  ice. 

Trappers  who  are  well  acquainted  with  the 
habits  of  the  beaver,  can  make  a  fair  estimate  of 
the  number  of  inmates  of  a  house.  It  sometimes 
happens  that  a  pair  of  young  beavers,  or  a  lone 
beaver  that  has  escaped  from  some  family  which 
has  been  trapped,  will  locate  in  an  old  deserted 
house,  and  then  it  is  not  such  an  easy  matter. 
The  experienced  trapper,  however,  is  not  likely 
to  be  fooled.  He  goes  along  the  shore  and  care- 
fully examines  the  stumps,  where  the  animals 
have  been  cutting  trees  for  food.  The  amount 
of  stuff  that  has  been  cut  will  show,  usually ;  but 
he  has  still  a  better  way  of  determining  whether 
the  work  was  done  by  one  or  more  beavers.  He 
examines  the  teeth  marks  on  the  stumps,  and  if 


92  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

they  are  all  alike,  he  decides  that  there  is  not 
a  full  family,  but  only  two,  or  perhaps  only  one. 

A  lone  beaver  that  has  escaped  from  the 
trapper,  is  difficult  to  trap.  I  remember  once 
finding  such  a  one,  located  on  a  large  pool  of  a 
fair  sized  stream.  He  had  no  dam  and  had  only 
a  small  house  along  the  bank.  I  found  him  in 
the  fall,  while  the  water  was  still  open,  and  he 
was  busy  laying  in  a  supply  of  food  for  winter. 
Well,  I  went  there  one  rainy  day  and  set  two 
traps.  I  set  the  traps  very  carefully,  fastening 
to  sliding  poles,  which  I  had  cut  quite  a  dis- 
tance away  so  as  not  to  make  any  noise  near 
the  house.  The  rain  washed  the  scent  away  in 
a  short  time,  and  I  could  see  no  reason  why  he 
should  take  alarm;  but  he  did,  just  the  same. 
I  kept  those  traps  set  a  week,  but  did  not  catch 
him,  nor  did  I  ever  see  any  fresh  signs  there, 
after  I  had  set  the  traps.  Apparently  he  had 
left  the  place  immediately  after  I  had  set  the 
traps.  An  Indian  trapper  had  trapped  several 
families  of  beavers,  near  there  the  season  be- 
fore, and  this  beaver  was  one  that  had  "given 
him  the  slip." 

In  cutting  timber,  the  beaver  takes  the 
wood  in  small  chips,  gnawing  all  around  the  tree, 
until  it  falls.  He  knowrs  absolutely  nothing 
about  throwing  the  tree  in  the  direction  in  which 
he  wishes  it  to  fall,  but  lets  it  fall  just  as  it  is 


THE   BEAVER.  93 

inclined  to  go.  I  have  seen  where  a  tree  had 
lodged,  refusing  to  fall,  and  the  beaver  had  stood 
up  and  cut  several  pieces  off  the  butt,  and  as  the 
tree  still  refused  to  fall,  he  had  let  it  remain 
hanging.  It  was  a  case  of  hard  work  and  no 

pay. 

When  one  finds  a  family  of  beavers,  and  ex- 
pects to  trap  the  same  ground  each  season,  he 
should  not  attempt  to  catch  them  all,  as  by 
leaving  a  few  to  breed,  he  is  sure  of  getting  beav- 
ers each  season.  The  Indians,  in  such  cases, 
trap  the  old  beavers  only,  which  they  do  by  set- 
ting the  traps  a  good  distance  from  the  house, 
for  the  young  beavers  never  venture  far  away. 

Many  beavers  are  trapped  in  the  fall  just 
before  the  ice  forms,  but  their  fur  is  not  prime 
until  mid-winter.  In  the  north  they  remain  in 
good  condition  until  the  first  of  June;  in  the 
south  they  would  probably  not  be  good  after  the 
middle  of  April. 

Beaver  castors  have  a  market  value,  usual- 
ly selling  for  seven  or  eight  dollars  a  pound.  In 
preparing  them,  they  should  be  dried  slowly,  in 
a  shady  place.  Most  trappers  prefer  to  keep 
the  castors  for  scent,  as  it  is  attractive  to  many 
animals.  The  Indians  sometimes  combine  the 
two  scents  by  making  a  hole  in  the  beaver  cas- 
tors, and  squeezing  the  contents  of  the  oil  cas- 
tors into  them.  The  castors  are  then  hung  up 


94 


SCIENCE   OP   TRAPPING. 


and  allowed  to  dry.  This  is  more  or  less  at- 
tractive to  all  animals,  only  a  small  piece  being 
used  in  connection  with  the  bait. 

The  best  traps  for  beavers  are  the  Nos.  2£,  3, 
3^  and  4  Newhouse,  the  No.  4  Victor,  the  No.  4 
Oneida  Jump,  and  Blake  &  Lamb. 


Trap   Set  for  Beaver  —  Sliding  Pole. 

The  following  methods  of  trapping  are  for 
use  in  open  water,  in  either  the  fall  or  spring. 
The  first  method  given  is  usually  considered 
best  : 

Find  a  place  where  the  bank  bluffs  a  little 
and  the  water  is  of  good  depth.  Make  a  little 
pocket  in  the  bank,  several  inches  deep,  and  set 


THE   BEAVER.  95 

the  trap  in  the  water  directly  in  front  of  this 
pocket,  where  the  pan  of  the  trap  will  be  about 
two  inches  under  water.  Take  a  piece  of  beaver 
castor  and  fasten  it  to  the  bank  with  a  stick, 
about  fourteen  inches  above  the  water,  and  as 
far  back  in  the  pocket  as  possible.  If  you  are 
using  some  other  scent  instead  of  beavor  castor, 
just  dip  a  small  stick  in  the  scent  and  fasten  it 
to  the  bank.  Fasten  the  trap  so  that  the  beaver 
will  drown ;  the  sliding  pole  is  best.  Be  sure  to 
use  a  dead  pole  or  stake,  as  if  a  green  pole  is 
used  the  other  beavers  may  carry  it  away,  trap 
and  all.  This  is  a  very  good  method  for  spring 
and  fall,  or  at  any  time  when  there  is  open 
water  : 

Here  is  another  method  for  the  same  kind 
of  place: 

Set  the  trap  under  water  at  the  foot  of  a 
steep  bank,  and  fasten  a  couple  of  green  poplar 
or  cottonwood  sticks  on  the  bank,  directly  over 
the  trap,  so  that  the  beaver  will  step  into  the 
trap  in  trying  to  reach  them.  Have  the  fresh 
cut  ends  of  the  sticks  showing  plainly,  and 
make  your  set  near  the  house  or  dam  so  that 
the  beavers  are  sure  to  see  it.  Fasten  trap  so 
that  the  captured  animal  will  be  sure  to  drown. 
No  covering  is  needed  on  traps  when  they  are 
set  under  water. 

Look  for  the  beaver's  slides  or  trails  where 


96  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

he  drags  his  food  into  the  water,  and  if  the 
water  is  deep  enough  to  drown  him,  set  the  trap 
under  about  two  inches  of  water,  just  where  he 
lands  on  the  bank.  This  set  is  all  right  in  the 
fall,  when  the  beaver  is  laying  in  his  food  for 
the  winter,  but  is  not  much  good  in  the  spring. 
Some  trappers  set  the  trap  a  foot  or  more  from 
the  shore,  where  the  water  is  about  six  inches 
deep,  as  by  so  doing  the  beaver  is  caught  by  the 
hind  foot,  and  is  not  so  likely  to  escape.  When 
using  a  set  of  this  kind,  it  is  best  to  use  a  number 
3^  or  4  trap,  as  the  No.  3  is  too  small  for  the 
beaver's  hind  foot. 

Beavers  usually  have  a  slide  or  trail  over 
the  center  of  the  dam,  and  this  makes  a  very 
good  place  to  set  a  trap.  Set  the  trap  under 
water  on  the  upper  side  of  the  dam,  just  where 
the  trail  leads  over.  Be  sure  to  fasten  the  trap 
so  that  the  animal  will  drown,  as  if  it  is  not 
drowned,  it  is  almost  certain  to  escape,  and 
even  if  it  does  not,  the  others  will  be  frightened 
and  you  will  have  a  hard  time  to  get  them. 

In  the  spring,  after  the  ice  has  gone,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  set  a  few  traps  along  the  stream, 
baiting  with  beaver  castor,  as  the  beavers  are 
traveling  at  this  time,  and  you  are  likely  to 
catch  one  almost  anywhere  along  the  streams. 
When  setting  traps  in  this  way,  it  is  best  to 
drench  the  set  with  water  to  remove  the  human 


THE  BEAVER.  97 

scent.  The  beaver  is  seldom  afraid  of  human 
scent,  but  there  is  likely  to  be  an  otter  along 
that  way,  and  you  stand  a  good  chance  of  catch- 
ing him  in  a  trap  baited  with  beaver  castor. 

Beavers  may  be  caught  in  mid-winter  and 
early  spring,  by  setting  baited  traps  under  the 
ice.  It  is  not  much  use  to  set  traps  under  the 
ice  in  early  winter,  as  the  beaver's  food  is  still  in 
good  condition,  and  they  will  not  take  bait  well ; 
moreover  you  are  likely  to  frighten  them  and 
make  them  harder  to  trap  later  on.  The  follow- 
ing methods  are  among  the  best  for  use  under 
the  ice,  the  one  first  given,  being  most  used,  and 
is  probably  the  best : 

Go  close  to  the  beaver's  house  where  the  ice 
is  thin,  and  by  cutting  small  holes  in  the  ice,  find 
a  place  where  the  water  is  about  twelve  inches 
deep.  Having  found  such  a  place,  enlarge  the 
hole  until  it  is  about  sixteen  by  twenty  inches 
in  size,  making  a  pen  the  same  size  as  the  hole, 
by  shoving  down  dead  sticks  about  four  inches 
apart.  If  the  bottom  is  very  hard,  you  will  have 
to  freeze  the  sticks  to  the  ice,  to  hold  them  in 
place.  This  may  be  done  by  throwing  snow  in 
the  water,  and  packing  it  around  the  sticks  and 
against  the  edge  of  the  ice.  When  the  pen  is 
completed,  cut  a  piece  of  green  poplar  about 
1J  or  2  inches  thick  and  two  or  three  feet  long, 

7 


98 


SCIENCE  OP  TRAPPING. 


and  fasten  it  to  a  stake  by  one  end — the  poplar 
being  placed  at  a  right  angle  to  the  stake.  This 
green  poplar  is  for  bait,  and  the  stake  should 
be  driven  down  in  one  corner  of  the  pen  so  that 
the  bait  is  within  two  or  three  inches  from  the 
bottom,  and  close  along  one  side  of  the  pen,  ex- 
tending a  foot  or  more  beyond  the  entrance. 


Beaver   Trap   Set  Under  Ice. 

The  trap  should  be  staked  and  set  well  in- 
side of  the  pen,  and  quite  close  to  the  bait,  so 
that  the  jaw  of  the  trap  will  just  clear  the  bait. 
This  set  will  be  readily  understood  by  referring 
to  the  cut.  If  the  bottom  is  of  thin  mud,  as  is 
often  the  case,  you  will  have  to  make  a  bed  for 


THE   BEAVER.  99 

the  trap,  by  sinking  a  bunch  of  evergreen  boughs 
inside  of  the  pen.  It  is  also  best  to  fasten  the 
bait  near  the  entrance  to  prevent  the  beaver 
from  swinging  it  around.  When  the  set  is  com- 
pleted, cover  the  hole  with  evergreen  boughs, 
bank  it  with  snow,  to  keep  it  from  freezing. 

It  is  best  to  let  this  set  go  for  about  a  week 
before  looking  at  it.  The  beavers  will  be  fright- 
ened and  will  not  approach  the  set  for  a  few 
days,  but  finally  one  of  them  musters  up  cour- 
age enough  to  try  to  pull  the  bait  out  of  the  pen. 
When  he  finds  it  fast,  he  cuts  it  off  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  pen,  takes  it  to  the  house  to  eat  it ; 
this  sharpens  his  appetite,  makes  him  more  cour- 
ageous, and  he  finally  ventures  into  the  pen  for 
the  balance  of  the  bait.  In  attempting  to  cut 
the  bait,  he  places  one  front  foot  on  the  bait  and 
the  other  one  in  the  trap.  When  using  this  set 
you  should  use  three  or  four  sets  at  each  house. 

Another  good  ice  method  is  as  follows: 
Find  'the  proper  depth  of  water,  about  fourteen 
inches,  and  make  a  pen  of  dead  sticks  arranging 
them  in  the  form  of  a  half-circle.  Now  take 
some  green  poplar  and  shove  them  down  firmly 
into  the  bottom,  about  six  inches  apart,  close  up 
to  the  stakes,  on  the  inside  of  the  pen.  These 
bait  sticks  must  be  long  enough  to  reach  above 
the  ice,  so  that  they  will  freeze  fast  at  the  top. 
Stake  the  trap  and  set  it  in  the  center  of  the 


100  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

enclousre,  with  the  pan  about  nine  inches  from 
the  center  bait.  Throw  some  snow  in  the  hole, 
so  that  it  will  freeze  and  hold  the  bait  sticks 
securely. 

The  following  method  is  one  of  the  best  for 
use  in  deep  water :  Cut  a  dead  pole  about  four 
inches  in  diameter  and  six  or  seven  feet  long. 
Flatten  the  pole  at  one  end,  and  loop  the  trap 
chain  around  the  pole;  then  set  the  trap  on  the 
end  of  the  pole  and  tie  it  with  a  string,  to  hold 
it  in  place.  Now,  cut  an  oblong  hole  in  the  ice, 
and  place  the  pole  in  the  water  in  an  inclined 
position  so  that  the  trap  is  about  twelve  inches 
below  the  ice.  Pack  wet  snow  around  the  pole 
to  hold  it  in  place,  fasten  two  sticks  of  green 
poplar  in  the  ice  over  the  trap,  one  on  either 
side.  In  attempting  to  cut  the  bait,  the  beaver 
will  put  his  foot  in  the  trap. 

Always  fasten  your  trap  to  a  dead  stick  or 
pole,  for  if  a  green  stake  is  used,  the  beavers 
are  likely  to  carry  it  away,  trap  and  all.  Poplar 
and  cottonwood  make  the  best  baits,  but  in  case 
they  cannot  be  obtained,  use  birch,  willow  or 
black  cherry. 

When  setting  traps  near  the  house,  in  open 
water,  make  as  little  noise  as  possible,  and  do 
not  remain  in  the  vicinity  longer  than  necessary. 

When  trapping  in  open  water,  never  camp 
or  make  a  fire  near  the  pond  where  the  beavers 


THE   BEAVER.  101 

are  located.  In  winter,  after  the  ice  has  formed, 
it  does  not  matter. 

If  you  find  a  beaver  house  in  winter  when 
the  snow  is  deep,  and  wish  to  know  if  it  is  in- 
habited, examine  the  house,  and  if  the  snow  is 
melted  on  the  top,  you  may  be  sure  there  are 
beavers  in  it. 

Another  way  to  tell  whether  a  house  is  in- 
habited, is  to  cut  a  hole  through  the  ice  and 
shove  down  a  piece  of  green  poplar,  filling  the 
hole  with  snow.  Examine  it  in  about  a  week, 
and  if  the  poplar  has  been  cut,  you  may  be  sure 
you  have  found  beavers. 

The  track  of  the  beaver  is  seldom  seen  as 
they  do  not  move  about  much  in  winter  and  on 
their  trails  their  tracks  are  obliterated  by  the 
food  which  they  drag  into  the  water.  The  trap- 
per does  not  look  for  tracks,  but  for  more  con- 
spicuous signs,  such  as  houses  and  dams  with 
fresh  cut  wood. 


102 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 


H 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    MUSKRAT. 

CHE  muskrat  is  a  small  herbivorous  animal 
of  the  amphibious  class.     Its  head  and 
body  are  from  thirteen  to  fifteen  inches 
in  length.    The  tail  is  nine  or  ten  inches, 
two  edged,  and  for  two-thirds  its  length  is  rud- 
der shaped  and  covered  with  scales  and  thin, 
short  hair.     The  front  feet  are  small,  the  hind 
feet,  large  and  slightly  webbed,  making  the  an- 
imal an  expert  swimmer.     The  color  of  the  fur 
is  brown  above  and  ashy  beneath. 

The  muskrat  is  a  nocturnal  animal,  but  is 
sometimes  seen  in  the  day  time.  Their  food  con- 
sists of  grass  and  roots,  fruit,  grain  and  vegeta- 
bles. They  will  also  eat  clams,  sometimes,  when 
food  is  scarce.  They  thrive  best  in  sluggish 
streams  and  ponds,  bordered  with  grass  and 
flags,  the  roots  of  which  are  their  chief  support 
and  from  the  tops  of  which  they  construct  their 
houses.  These  structures  are  dome  shaped,  and 
rise,  sometimes  to  a  height  of  five  feet  from  the 
water.  The  entrances  are  at  the  bottom,  under 
water,  so  that  the  inside  of  the  house  is  not  ex- 

103 


104  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

posed  to  the  open  air.  From  six  to  ten  muskrats 
are  sometimes  found  in  one  house.  Hundreds 
of  these  dwellings  can  be  counted  from  a  single 
point  in  many  large  marshes. 

The  muskrats  found  on  the  streams  do  not 
build  houses,  but  live  in  holes  in  the  bank,  the 
entrances  of  which  are  under  water.  The  musk- 
rat  is  found  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  They  are  especially 
numerous  in  the  marshes  on  the  coast  of  Dela- 
ware and  Maryland.  This  muskrat  ground  is 
owned  by  private  parties,  who  lease  the  ground 
to  the  trappers  for  a  certain  length  of  time, 
the  trapper  catching  all  the  animals  he  can  in 
that  length  of  time.  Muskrats  are  also  very 
plentiful  in  some  parts  of  Western  Canada. 
These  animals  are  very  prolific,  bringing  forth 
from  six  to  nine  at  a  birth  and  three  litters  in  a 
season.  They  have  many  enemies,  such  as  the 
fox,  mink,  otter  and  owl,  but  their  greatest 
enemy  is  man. 

Muskrats  are  trapped  in  the  fall,  winter  and 
spring,  but  they  are  not  prime  until  mid- winter, 
and  some  are  not  fully  prime  until  the  first  of 
March.  Nevertheless,  they  are  more  easily 
caught  in  the  fall,  and  as  the  skins  bring  a  fair 
price,  the  most  trapping  is  done  at  this  time, 
that  is  for  "bank  rats," — those  living  in  holes  in 


THE    MUSKRAT.  105 

the  banks.  Where  the  muskrats  live  in  houses, 
they  are  trapped  mostly  after  the  ice  had 
formed. 

In  the  far  North  the  skins  are  in  good  con- 
dition until  the  first  of  June,  while  in  the  ex- 
treme South  they  should  not  be  trapped  after 
the  first  of  April.  The  muskrats  found  in  set- 
tled districts  are  larger  and  better  furred  than 
those  of  the  wilderness,  also,  those  found  East 
of  the  Mississippi  River  are  larger  than  those 
of  the  West. 

When  trapping  for  these  animals,  the  traps 
should  always  be  staked  full  length  of  chain  into 
deep  water,  so  that  the  captured  animal  will 
drown,  as  otherwise  they  are  almost  certain  to 
twist  off  the  foot,  and  escape,  unless  they  are 
caught  by  a  hind  foot.  Many  trappers  set  their 
traps  several  inches  under  water,  as  by  so  doing 
they  catch  the  rat  by  a  hind  foot,  and  there  is 
very  little  danger  of  them  escaping.  Some  stake 
their  traps  the  length  of  the  chain  into  deep 
water,  and  drive  another  stake  about  a  foot  be- 
yond. The  muskrat,  when  caught,  winds  the 
chain  around  the  outer  stake  and  is  thus  pre- 
vented from  reaching  the  bank.  Others  prefer  to 
tie  a  stone  on  the  end  of  the  chain,  and  lay  the 
stone  in  deep  water. 

The  traps  most  used  are  the  Nos.  1  and  1J, 
but  the  No.  0  is  also  used  sometimes.  The  Vic- 


106  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

tor  trap  is  a  great  favorite,  as  it  does  not  have 
a®  strong  a  spring  as  the  higher  priced  traps, 
and  is  not. so  likely  to  break  the  animal's  leg. 
The  single  spring  Oneida  Jump  traps  are  also 
fine  traps  for  muskrats. 

One  of  the  most  common  methods  of  trap- 
ping the  muskrat  is  to  find  their  slides  on  the 
bank  and  set  the  trap  at  the  foot  of  the  slide 
under  about  two  and  a  half  or  three  inches  of 
water.  No  covering  is  needed. 

If  you  can  find  a  log,  with  one  end  lying  in 
the  water,  examine  same  and  if  ^there  are  musk- 
rat  droppings  on  the  log,  cut  a  notch  for  the 
trap,  so  that  it  will  be  just  under  water  when  set 
in  the  notch.  The  chain  may  be  stapled  to  the 
log. 

Another  good  way  is  to  find  their  holes  in 
the  bank  and  set  a  trap  in  the  entrance,  staking 
into  deep  water. 

If  the  water  is  still,  and  there  is  much  grass 
in  the  water,  look  around,  and  you  will  find  their 
feeding  beds,  —  beds  of  grass  which  appear  to  be 
floating  on  the  water.  Set  traps  on  these  beds, 
under  water. 

If  you  know  there  are  muskrats  about  and 
you  can  not  find  any  of  the  places  described 
above,  select  a  steep  bank,  and  set  the  trap  under 


THE    MUSKRAT.  107 

two  or  three  inches  of  water  at  the  foot  of  the 
bank.  Pin  a  piece  of  bait  to  the  bank  about  ten 
inches  above  the  trap. 

Where  muskrats  are  found  in  large  numbers 
as  in  a  pond  or  slough,  proceed  as  follows :  Get 
a  board  about  twelve  inches  wide  and  sixteen 
feet  long  and  nail  strips  across  it,  arranging 
them  in  pairs,  just  far  enough  apart  to  let  a  trap 
set  between.  A  board  of  this  size  will  hold  six 
or  eight  traps.  The  traps  may  be  stapled  to  the 
edge  of  the  board  and  some  small  pieces  of  bait 
scattered  the  entire  length.  The  traps  should 
be  covered  with  dirt  or  dead  grass.  Attach  a 
rope  to  one  end  of  the  board  and  anchor  it  in 
the  water  where  the  muskrats  are  sure  to  find  it. 

To  trap  muskrats  in  their  houses  in  winter, 
cut  a  hole  in  the  side  of  the  house,  and  set  the 
trap  inside,  on  the  bed.  Fasten  the  trap  to  a 
stick  outside  of  the  house  and  close  the  opening 
tight,  so  the  diving  hole  will  not  freeze.  I  have 
had  best  success  at  this  kind  of  trapping  by 
using  a  small  trap,  No.  0,  and  a  good  length  of 
chain,  as  it  gives  the  rat  more  chance  to  drown. 
The  traps  should  be  visited  evening  and  morning. 

In  the  spring,  when  the  ice  has  just  com- 
menced to  melt,  you  will  find  small  piles  of 
grass  roots  projecting  above  the  ice.  Move  this 
aside  and  you  will  find  a  hole  in  the  ice,  with  a 


108  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

feed  bed  directly  in  under  it.     Set  a  trap  on 
this  bed  and  cover  the  hole. 

The  best  baits  for  muskrats  are  sweet  apple, 
parsnips,  carrot,  pumpkin,  corn  and  the  flesh  of 
the  muskrat.  While  they  do  not  eat  the  meat, 
they  will  go  to  smell  at  it,  which  is  all  that  is 
needed.  Muskrat  musk,  beaver  castor  and  cat- 
nip are  all  attractive  to  the  muskrat. 


THE  FOX. 


109 


x  \yhAWi 

>-f  mm 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    FOX. 

CHE  various  members  of  the  fox  family  are 
found  in  almost  all  parts  of  the  world  but 
are  most  abundant  in  the  Northern  Hem- 
isphere.   There  are  many  species  and  va- 
rieties, but  it  is  those  of  North  America  that  are 
of  the  most  interest  to  the  trapper. 

Those  found  on  this  continent  are  the  red, 
the  gray,  the  kit  and  Arctic  foxes,  and  there  are 
a  number  of  varieties  of  the  red  and  gray  species. 
The  black,  silver  and  cross  foxes  are  sup- 
posed to  be  only  color  varieties  of  the  red,  but 
why  this  occurs,  and  only  in  the  North,  is  a  mys- 
tery. 

The  Silver  or  Black  fox  is  the  most  beauti- 
ful and  most  valuable  of  all  the  foxes.  It  is 
found  in  the  high,  northern  latitudes  of  both 
continents.  In  this  country,  it  is  found  as  far 
south  as  the  northern  tier  of  states.  They  are 
most  abundant  in  the  interior  of  Alaska,  the 
Northwest  Territories,  Ontario,  Northern  Que- 
bec, Labrador  and  Newfoundland. 

At  the  London  fur  sales,  specimens  have 
no 


THE   FOX.  Ill 

been  sold  at  over  one  thousand  dollars  each,  but 
the  average  price  is  probably  about  two  hundred 
dollars.  Wherever  the  Silver  fox  is  found,  the 
Cross  or  Patch  fox  is  found  also,  and  they  also 
range  somewhat  farther  south.  They  are  always 
found  in  greater  numbers  than  the  Silver  vari- 
ety. 

The  Eed  fox  is  the  most  common  and  is  dis- 
tributed over  a  larger  territory  than  the  other 
varieties.  They  range  from  the  northern  timber 
line,  to  well  down  in  the  Southern  States.  They 
are  probably  most  abundant  in  the  Eastern  prov- 
inces of  Canada  and  the  England  States,  but  they 
are  found  in  fair  numbers  in  parts  of  New  York, 
Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Arkan- 
sas, Missouri,  Michigan  and  the  larger  part  of 
Canada  and  Alaska. 

/The  Gray  fox  is  one  of  the  least  valuable, 
and  is  most  abundant  in  the  Southern  States. 
In  the  East  they  range  as  far  north  as  Connecti- 
cut, In  some  places  they  have  supplanted  the 
Red  species,  and  in  other  places  the  grays  have 
disappeared  and  the  reds  have  taken  their  place. 

The  fox,  as  well  as  the  wolf  and  coyote,  be- 
longs to  the  dog  family,  which  is  second,  only 
to  man  in  intelligence.  The  different  species  are 
all  practically  the  same  size,  but  the  same  vari- 
eties vary  in  size  in  different  localities.  The  av- 
erage weight  is  from  nine  to  ten  pounds.  In 


the 


112  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

general  appearance  they  somewhat  resemble  the 
dog,  being  rather  light  of  build,  considering  their 
height.  The  ears  are  erect  and  pointed,  the  tail 
thick*  and  bushy,  and  the  muzzle  small  and 
pointed.  The  fur  varies  in  the  different  species, 
being  coarse  and  rather  short  on  the  Gray,  while 
th^it  of  the  Silver  fox  is  extremely  fine  and  soft. 

>The  mating  season  comes  in  February,  and 
e  young  are  born  usually  in  April,  there  being 
from  four  to  nine  in  a  litter.  They  make  dens 
in  the  sand  hills  and  in  rocky  districts,  den  in 
the  rocks.  Except  during  the  breeding  season 
they  spend  very  little  time  in  the  dens,  but  lie 
during  the  day  in  some  clump  of  brush  or  weeds, 
or  often  on  top  of  a  stump  or  log.  In  mountain- 
ous sections  they  lie  during  the  day,  somewhere 
on  the  mountain  side  and  come  down  into  the 
valleys  at  night  in  search  of  food. 

The  fox  is  not  strictly  a  carnivorous  animal. 
When  food  is  scarce  they  often  feed  on  apples 
and  other  fruits,  but  their  regular  food  is  flesh. 
They  are  fond  of  partridge,  rabbits,  mice,  skunk, 
muskrat  or  opossum  flesh,  carrion  of  almost  all 
kinds,  fish,  eggs,  poultry,  and  often  they  come 
around  the  camps  and  gather  up  the  scraps, 
bread,  bacon  rinds  etc.  If  they  are  given  time 
and  not  disturbed  they  become  quite  bold  in 
coming  to  such  places  for  food  and  the  trappers 


THE   FOX.  113 

sometime  take  advantage  of  this  peculiarity  by 
baiting  them  awhile  before  setting  the  trap. 

The  fox  in  the  North  becomes  prime  in  the 
beginning  of  November  and  remains  in  good  con- 
dition until  the  middle  of  March,  when  the  fur  be- 
gins to  take  on  a  rubbed  and  woolly  appearance. 
In  the  South  they  do  not  become  prime  until  the 
last  of  November  or  the  beginning  of  December 
and  go  out  of  prime  in  February.  Most  of  the 
foxes  are  trapped  in  the  fall  before  the  ground 
freezes  too  hard  for  dry  sets,  and  of  course,  many 
of  them  are  not  prime. 

The  traps  recommended  for  the  fox,  for  dry 
land  use  are  the  Nos.  2  and  3  Oneida  Jump  and 
Blake  &  Lamb,  the  1|  Newhouse  and  Hawley  & 
Norton  and  the  No.  2  Victor.  For  water  and 
snow  trapping,  the  Nos.  3  and  4  Oneida  Jump 
and  Blake  &  Lamb,  and  the  21^  and  31^  New- 
house  will  be  found  most  desirable. 

In  places  where  there  are  springs  and  small 
streams,  there  is  no  better  method  than  the  old 
water  set,  which  is  made  as  follows :  It  is  best 
to  find  a  spring  which  does  not  freeze,  but  for 
early  fall  trapping  a  brook  will  do.  The  rise 
and  fall  of  the  water  in  small  streams  sometimes 
makes  trouble,  and  a  spring  or  small  pond  gives 
best  results.  The  spring  should  be  at  least  four 
feet  in  diameter  and  should  be  prepared  for  the 

8 


114 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 


set  in  the  summer,  but  if  care  is  used,  may  be 
fixed  up  during  the  trapping  season.  A  moss 
covered  stone,  or  a  sod  (according  to  surround- 
ings) should  be  placed  about  a  foot  and  a  half 
from  shore,  and  should  rise  about  two  or  three 
inches  above  the  water.  This  is  the  bait  sod. 


Water  Set  for  Fox. 

The  trap  is  set  half  way  between  the  sod  and  the 
shore,  and  the  jaws,  springs  and  chain  should  be 
covered  with  mud,  or  whatever  is  found  in  the 
bottom  of  the  spring. 

The  pan  of  the  trap  should  just  be  covered 
with  water.  Now  take  a  nice  piece  of  moss  or 
sod  and  place  it  on  the  pan  of  the  trap,  so  that  it 


THE  FOX.  115 

will  rise  an  inch  above  the  water.  When  prop- 
erly placed,  this  sod  will  look  natural  and  will, 
apparently  be  a  safe  stepping  place  for  the  fox. 
The  pan  should  be  so  adjusted  that  it  will  not 
spring  too  easily.  A  small  piece  of  bait  and  also 
some  scent  should  be  placed  on  the  larger  sod. 

In  making  this  set  you  should  wade  up  the 
outlet  of  the  spring,  and  stand  in  the  water  while 
making  the  set.  Do  not  touch  the  bank  or  any 
of  the  surroundings.  The  trap  should  be  fitted 
with  a  chain  about  three  feet  in  length,  with  a 
two  prong  drag  attached,  but  most  trappers  sim- 
•pV  wire  a  stone  of  eight  or  ten  pounds  weight  to 
the  end  of  the  chain.  The  drag,  whatever  is 
used,  should  be  buried  in  the  bed  of  the  spring. 

I  recommend  the  flesh  of  the  muskrat, 
skunk,  opossum  or  house-cat  for  bait,  and  it 
should  be  allowed  to  taint  by  remaining  about  a 
week  in  a  glass  jar.  This  method  was  first  used 
by  William  Schofield  a  famous  fox  trapper  of  the 
Eastern  states.  Two  men  have  been  known  to 
catch  over  one  hundred  foxes  in  a  season  with 
this  method,  besides  considerable  other  furs 
taken  in  the  same  traps,  for  the  method  is  good 
for  many  other  animals  besides  the  fox. 

One  trapper  recommends  setting  the  trap 
in  exactly  the  same  manner,  except  that  the  bait 
sod  is  omitted,  and  the  bait,  a  bird,  is  fastened 
by  means  of  a  stick  thrust  in  the  bottom  of  the 


116  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

spring.  The  stick  must  be  entirely  out  of  sight, 
and  the  bird,  apparently,  floating  in  the  water. 
Both  of  these  methods  are  very  good,  and  are 
especially  recommended  for  the  novice,  as  they 
are  the  easiest  and  surest  methods  to  start  on. 

The  water  sets  given  above,  can  of  course, 
only  be  used  in  certain  places,  for  in  some  of  the 
best  fox  countries,  springs  cannot  be  found,  and 
even  the  streams  are  not  suitable  for  trapping. 
For  this  reason  many  professional  fox  trappers 
prefer  to  use  dry  land  sets,  and  the  blind  set  will 
be  found  to  be  one  of  the  very  best. 

Look  for  fox  tracks  in  old  stock  trails,  foot 
paths,  old  roads  in  the  woods,  openings  under 
fences,  etc.,  and  having  first  cleaned  the  traps  by 
boiling  or  washing,  find  a  narrow  place  in  the 
trail  and  dig  out  a  nest  for  the  trap.  Make  this 
nest  so  that  when  the  trap  is  set  in  it,  the  jaws 
will  lie  lengthwise  of  the  trail.  Line  this  nest 
with  dry  grass  or  leaves,  and  having  attached 
the  trap  to  some  sort  of  a  drag,  set  it  and  place 
it  in  the  place  prepared.  Fill  in  all  around  the 
outside  of  the  jaws  with  dry  dirt,  and  cover  the 
springs.  Now  lay  a  piece  of  clean  paper  over 
the  trap  and  cover  all  with  about  one-fourth 
inch  of  dirt,  making  it  look  like  the  other  parts 
of  the  trail  as  much  as  possible.  The  chain  and 
drag  must  be  carefully  concealed. 

It  is  best  to  have  a  basket  or  piece  of  canvas 


THE  FOX. 


117 


in  which  to  place  the  dirt  while  making  the  set 
and  to  carry  away  what  is  not  needed.  Do  not 
spit  near  the  trap,  and  do  not  leave  any  signs 
of  your  presence.  It  is  not  necessary  to  wear 
gloves,  but  the  hands  should  be  kept  clean.  This 
is  an  excellent  method,  especially  for  the  old,  sly 
animals. 


Dry  Land  Set  for  Fox. 

The  professional  trappers  of  the  East  use 
the  bait  method,  mostly,  and  although  the  dif- 
ferent trappers  use  different  baits  and  scents,  the 
methods  of  setting  the  traps  are  all,  practically 
the  same. 

The    following   directions    are    almost    the 


118  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

same  as  you  will  get  when  you  buy  a  method  at 
from  f  1.00  to  $5.00  or  more.  "Prepare  your  bait 
about  a  week  before  you  want  to  set  the  traps, 
by  cutting  into  pieces  about  half  the  size  of  an 
ogg,  and  placing  in  a  clean  jar  to  become  tainted. 
Put  a  little  bit  of  scent  on  each  bait  before  plac- 
ing in  jar.  There  are  different  ways  for  prepar- 
ing the  traps ;  most  trappers  prefer  to  boil  them 
in  hemlock  boughs,  or  lay  them  over  night  in 
running  water.  Wear  clean  gloves  when  hand- 
ling the  traps  and  carry  them  in  a  clean  basket. 
Now  find  an  old  stump  or  a  rock  along  some  hill- 
side, and  dig  a  hole  under  it  making  the  hole  four 
or  five  inches  in  diameter  and  ten  or  twelve 
inches  deep.  Stake  the  trap  solid,  driving  stake 
out  of  sight,  and  set  the  trap  about  ten  inches 
in  front  of  the  hole.  Cover  the  trap  first  with 
a  piece  of  clean  paper  and  finish  by  about  one- 
fourth  inch  of  dirt  dug  out  of  the  hole.  It  should 
look  as  if  some  animal  had  dug  the  hole  and 
scratched  the  dirt  out  in  front.  Use  a  small 
shovel  made  for  the  purpose,  or  a  sharpened 
stick  to  dig  the  hole,  and  keep  your  gloves 
on  all  the  time.  Do  not  .walk  around,  but 
stand  in  the  same  spot  until  the  set  is  com- 
plete. Now  put  a  piece  of  bait  in  the  back 
of  the  hole,  using  a  sharpened  stick  to  handle 
the  bait  and  put  just  a  little  scent  by  the  side 
of  the  hole.  When  you  catch  a  fox,  kill  him 


THE   FOX.  119 

without  drawing  blood,  and  set  the  trap  back  in 
the  same  place.  Your  chances  for  catching  an- 
other fox  are  doubled.  Skunks,  coons  and  other 
animals  Avill  also  be  caught  in  these  sets." 

The  following  method  is  a  good  one  to  use 
in  settled  countries,  as  it  is  not  so  likely  to  catch 
dogs  and  other  animals,  as  other  methods  are. 
Find  an  ant-hill,  a  small,  pointed  knoll,  an  old 
rotten  stump,  a  moss  covered  rock,  or  an  old 
log  with  one  end  off  the  ground.  Set  the  trap 
on  the  highest  point,  covering  carefully,  so  that 
it  looks  just  like  it  did  before  the  trap  was  set. 
Place  a  fair  sized  bait,  such  as  a  skunk  or  musk- 
rat  about  eight  feet  away  from  the  trap.  The 
fox  is  always  suspicious  of  a  bait,  especially  a 
large  one,  and  will  always  get  on  the  highest 
point  to  look  at  it  before  going  close.  Of  course, 
there  must  be  no  other  place  for  him  to  get  up 
on,  near  the  bait.  In  the  winter,  traps  may  be 
set  on  muskrat  houses,  and  bait  placed  on  the 
ice.  I  think  it  best  to  set  the  traps  several  days 
before  placing  the  baits,  as  in  that  way  the 
human  and  other  scents  have  a  chance  to  pass 
away.  When  baiting,  go  just  close  enough  to 
.throw  the  bait  into  place. 

Some  trappers  set  traps  around  large  baits, 
such  as  the  carcass  of  a  horse,  cow  or  sheep, 
but  I  think  it  best  to  place  the  bait  by  the  side 
of  a  trail  and  set  several  traps  on  the  trail  from 


120  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

thirty  to  seventy  five  yards  from  the  bait.  When 
feeding  on  the  bait  the  foxes  will  travel  on  the 
trail,  and  they  will  not  be  looking  for  danger  so 
far  away  from  the  bait. 

Comparatively  few  of  the  professional  fox 
trappers  can  trap  the  fox  successfully  after  the 
deep  snow  come  on;  but  the  following  methods 
are  the  best  known,  and  will  catch  the  fox  if  you 
use  care  in  setting.  Of  course,  snow  sets  of  any 
kind  can  only  be  used  when  the  snow  is  dry  and 
loose  and  likely  to  remain  in  that  condition  for 
some  time. 

The ,  first  method  given  is  the  one  used  by 
the  Canadian  Indians,  for  taking  the  silver  fox 
in  the  great  northern  wilderness.  Out  on  the  ice 
on  some  frozen  lake,  or  on  any  open,  wind  swept 
piece  of  ground,  make  a  cone-shaped  mound  of 
snow,  beating  it  solid,  so  that  it  will  not  drift 
away.  The  trap  should  be  fastened  to  a  clog, 
and  the  clog  buried  in  the  mound.  Make  the 
mound  about  two  feet  high,  and  make  a  hollow 
in  the  top  for  the  trap  to  set  in.  The  hollow 
should  be  lined  with  cat-tail  down,  or  some  other 
dry  material,  and  the  trap  set  in  the  hollow  and 
covered  first  with  a  sheet  of  white  note  paper, 
finishing  with  a  half  inch  or  more  of  loose  snow. 
Do  not  handle  this  snow  with  your  hands,  for  if 
you  do  it  will  be  certain  to  freeze  on  the  trap. 
The  best  way  is  to  take  a  btinch  of  evergreen 


THE   FOX.  121 

boughs,  and  brush  the  snow  up  over  the  mound 
so  that  it  sifts  lightly  over  the  trap.  The  cov- 
ering on  the  trap  should  be  a  little  lower  than 
the  top  of  the  mound  so  that  the  wind  will  not 
uncover  the  trap.  The  bait  is  cut  into  small 
pieces  and  stuck  into  the  sides  of  the  mound. 

After  the  trap  is  set  it  will  only  require  a 
short  time  for  the  wind  to  drift  your  tracks  shut 
and  remove  all  traces  of  human  presence,  and 
the  trap  will  remain  in  working  order  as  long 
as  the  cold  weather  lasts.  If  water  rises  on  the 
ice  it  will  not  reach  your  trap,  and  if  there  is  a 
snow  storm,  the  first  wind  will  blow  the  loose 
snow  off  the  mound,  leaving  just  a  little  over 
the  trap.  When  looking  at  the  traps  you  should 
not  go  nearer  than  fifty  yards,  and  do  not  turn 
off  your  route,  but  walk  straight  by.  This  is  a 
splendid  method  for  use  in  the  far  north  where 
the  snow  never  melts  or  freezes  during  the  win- 
ter months. 

For  use  in  the  settled  countries  I  have  been 
very  successful  with  this  method.  Find  where 
foxes  travel  on  old  wood  roads  and  with  your 
traps  clean,  and  with  drags  attached,  go  and 
break  a  trail  in  the  snow  by  walking  back  and 
forth  on  the  road,  and  set  the  traps  in  this 
broken  trail  without  bait.  The  traps  should  be 
set  and  covered,  as  in  the  other  method,  and 
the  chain  and  clog  pushed  under  the  snow  at  the 


I. 

122'  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

side  of  the  trail.  Do  not  let  it  appear  that  you 
have  stopped  at  all,  and  when  looking  at  the 
traps  you  can  follow  the  trail  and  step  right  over 
the  traps.  In  settled  localities,  the  fox  will  follo\v 
the  trail  because  the  walking  is  better,  but  in 
the  wilderness  where  the  track  of  a  man  is  sel- 
dom seen,  they  not  only  refuse  to  follow  the 
trail,  but  often  will  not  even  cross  it. 

I  believe  that  scent  is  more  used  for  fox- 
trapping  than  for  trapping  any  other  animal. 
Some  of  the  best  trappers,  however,  do  not  use 
any  scent  at  all,  but  I  believe  that  if  the  right 
kind  is  used,  that  it  is  a  great  help.  One  of  the 
best  scents  known  for  dry  land  or  water  sets  is 
prepared  as  follows:  Remove  the  fat  from  one 
or  two  skunks,  chop  it  fine,  and  take  a  sufficient 
quantity  to  almost  fill  an  ordinary  pickle  bottle. 
Take  two  mice;  cut  them  up  and  add  to  the  fat 
and  let  the  bottle  stand  in  the  sun  until  the  mix- 
ture is  thoroughly  decomposed;  then  add  the 
scent  of  two  skunks  and  five  or  six  muskrats. 
The  bottle  must  be  kept  covered  so  the  flies  will 
not  blow  it,  but  it  must  not  be  tightly  corked. 
Different  trappers  have  different  ways  of  prepar- 
ing this  scent,  but  I  think  this  way  is  the  best. 

Another  very  good  one  is  made  by  allowing 
the  flesh  of  a  muskrat  to  rot  in  a  bottle,  and  add- 
ing about  four  ounces  of  strained  honey  and  one- 
half  ounce  of  essence  of  musk, 


THE   FOX.  123 

Pure  fish  oil  is  attractive  to  the  fox,  and  is 
used  by  some  very  good  trappers.  We  believe 
that  one  of  the  most  successful  scents,  especially 
for  winter  use  is  made  by  taking  the  generative 
organs  of  the  female  fox,  when  in  heat  and  pre- 
serving it  in  alcohol.  The  urine  of  the  fox  is 
also  good,  but  in  using  these  two  scents,  no  bait 
should  be  used. 

The  brine  from  mackerel  or  other  fish  is 
claimed  to  be  a  good  scent  for  foxes,  but  if  there 
are  any  porcupines,  or  snow-shoe  rabbits  about, 
it  will  make  plenty  of  trouble  as  the  salt  is  very 
attractive  to  these  animals. 

When  making  blind-sets,  or  when  setting  on 
a  trail  some  distance  from  a  bait,  do  not  stake 
yoiir  traps,  but  fasten  to  a  drag  of  some  kind: 
a  brush,  a  stone  or  a  grapple.  By  so  doing  the 
fox  will  not  spoil  the  trail  for  the  next  one,  and 
the  trap  may  be  set  back  in  the  same  place.  For 
a  bait  set  on  dry  land,  the  trap  may  be  staked  to 
advantage,  for  if  one  fox  is  caught  and  rolls 
around  over  the  ground,  you  are  more  likely  to 
catch  another  one  there. 

Do  not  start  out  with  a  dozen  traps  and  ex- 
pect to  make  a  success  of  fox  trapping.  You 
should  have  all  the  traps  that  you  can  look  after. 

Do  not  depend  on  one  method  of  setting,  as 
a  fox  will  sometimes  learn  your  method,  but 


124  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

some  other  method,  even  if  it  is  not  so  good,  may 
fool  them. 

When  killing  foxes  in  traps,  do  so,  if  pos- 
sible without  drawing  blood.  One  of  the  best 
ways  is  by  piercing  the  heart  with  a  wire  dag- 
ger. Another  good  way  is  by  breaking  the  neck, 
which  may  be  done  as  follows :  Strike  the  fox  a 
light  blow  over  the  head  with  a  stick,  just  hard 
enough  to  slightly  stun  him,  and  when  he  drops 
down,  place  your  left  hand  on  the  back  of  his 
neck,  pinning  him  to  the  ground  and  with  your 
right  hand  pull  his  nose  backward  against  his 
back.  It  requires  some  practice  to  do  this  right. 

The  track  of  the  red  fox  resembles  that  of  a 
small  dog,  being  perhaps  a  trifle  narrower.  The 
length  of  step  is  about  twelve  or  fourteen  inches, 
and  the  foot  prints  of  an  average  sized  fox  will 
measure  about  one  and  a  half  inches  in  length. 

The  track  of  the  gray  fox  is  rounder  and 
more  like  that  of  a  cat. 

Some  hunters  claim  that  they  can  distin- 
guish the  track  of  the  male  fox  from  that  of  the 
female,  the  footprints  of  the  female  being  smaller 
and  a  trifle  narrower  in  proportion. 

There  is  no  difference  in  the  footprints  of 
the  black,  silver,  cross  and  red  foxes. 


-^ 


l__ 


(125) 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  WOLF. 

CHE  WOLF  belongs  to  the  dog  family  and 
is  found  throughout  the  greater  part  of 
North  America,  also  in  Europe  and  Asia, 
and  parts  of  South  America.  There  are 
many  varieties,  varying  greatly  in  size  and  color, 
but  there  are  probably  only  two  distinct  species, 
namely,  the  timber  wolf  and  the  prairie  wolf, 
commonly  called  the  coyote.  Of  the  timber 
wolves,  we  have  in  this  country,  the  following 
varieties;  the  small  dark  grey  or  black  wolf  of 
Florida  and  southeastern  United  States,  the  red 
wolf  or  southern  Texas;  the  brindled  wolf  of 
Mexico,  the  light  grey  wolf  of  the  central  plains 
region;  the  dark  grey  wolf  of  eastern  Canada; 
the  white  wolf  of  northern  Canada  and  Alaska 
and  the  large  black  or  dusky  wolf  of  the  north- 
west coast  region. 

Of  the  smaller  prairie  wolf,  there  are  also 
several  varieties,  they  being  found  throughout 
the  prairie  regions  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  extending  westward  to  the  foot  of  the 
Kocky  mountains,  and  also  occurring  west  of 

126 


WOLF.  127 


the  mountains,  in  the  states  of  Oregon  and 
Washington.  To  the  trappers  and  the  western 
people  in  general,  these  two  species  are  com- 
monly known  as  the  wolf  and  the  coyote,  pro- 
nounced ki'yote.  As  a  rule,  the  varieties  of  tim- 
ber wolves  found  in  the  far  north  are  larger 
than  those  of  the  south.  While  they  are  found 
in  fair  numbers  in  most  parts  of  the  regions 
mentioned,  the  prairie  wolf  or  coyote  is  far  more 
abundant  in  the  sections  lying  east  of  the  moun- 
tains; there  being,  in  most  localities,  probably 
fifty  coyotes  for  one  wolf. 

Of  the  large  species,  the  common  grey  wolf, 
of  the  western  stock  region,  is  probably  most 
abundant,  and  the  most  destructive  to  stock 
and  game.  The  grey  wolf  varies  considerably 
in  size,  the  largest  specimens  weighing  some- 
times more  than  one  hundred  pounds.  The  fur 
is  long  and  heavy  and  good  prime  skins  bring 
usually  from  two  to  five  dollars  each.  In  form- 
er times,  when  the  buffalo  was  abundant  on  the 
plains,  they  formed  the  chief  food  of  the  wolf, 
but  since  the  buffalo  has  become  an  animal  of 
the  past,  the  wolves  depend  on  stock  for  food. 
They  are  very  destructive  to  cattle,  horses,  hogs, 
goats,  etc.  Occasionally  a  herd  of  sheep  is  raid- 
ed, but  this  is  of  rare  occurrence,  as  the  sheep 
are  always  guarded  by  the  herders. 

In  the  north  where  there  is  little  or  no  stock 


128  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

raised,  they  prey  on  game  of  almost  all  kinds, 
being  very  destructive  to  deer  and  even  killing 
moose,  at  times.  They  also  follow  the  herds  of 
cattle,  which  range  in  the  mountains  during  the 
summer  and  in  winter  are  found  in  the  foot  hills. 
The  coyote  preys  on  young  deer  and  antelope 
and  on  small  game,  such  as  rabbits,  prairie  dogs, 
sage  hens  and  badgers.  They  are  very  destruc- 
tive to  sheep,  and  many  of  them  follow  the  sheep 
when  they  are  driven  into  the  mountains  in 
summer. 

The  breeding  season  of  the  grey  wolf  varies 
considerably,  some  being  born  in  the  summer, 
but  the  majority  are  born  in  March  and  April. 
The  mating  season  comes  mainly  in  January  and 
February.  There  are  usually  from  five  to  eleven 
in  'a  litter.  They  breed  in  the  foot  hills  and  bad 
lands,  in  holes  in  the  buttes  and  rim-rock  and 
sometimes  in  enlarged  badger  dens.  The  breed- 
ing season  of  the  coyote  generally  comes  later 
than  that  of  the  grey  wrolf ;  most  of  them  being 
born  in  April.  They  also  breed  in  natural  ex- 
cavations in  the  rocks. 

Wolves  are  great  ramblers  and  range  over 
a  large  section  of  country.  Like  all  other  ani- 
mals of  rambling  habits,  they  have  a  regular 
route  of  travel,  and  while  they  vary  somewhat 
from  the  route,  you  may  be  certain  to  find  them 
using  the  same  passes  through  the  hills,  and  the 


THE  WOLF.  129 

same  route  across  a  flat.  However,  when  in 
pursuit  of  game,  they  go  far  out  of  their  course. 

Almost  all  of  the  states  where  wolves  are 
found,  as  well  as  some  of  the  provinces  of  Can- 
ada, pay  a  bounty  on  wolves  and  coyotes.  The 
bounties  are  different,  in  different  states  and  so 
also,  are  the  bounty  laws,  and  the  methods  of 
obtaining  the  bounty  money.  Usually  the  skin 
and  head,  or  part  of  the  head,  or  the  feet  and 
bones  of  the  legs,  must  be  produced,  in  order  to 
obtain  this  bounty. 

Besides  the  state  bounty,  the  ranchmen  of- 
ten offer  an  additional  sum,  which  in  most  cases, 
amounts  to  far  more  than  the  state  bounty. 
Sometimes,  when  some  particular  band  of  wolves 
become  especially  destructive  to  stock,  the  boun- 
ties offered  for  these  wolves  amount  to  a  fancy 
sum  of  money.  On  one  particularly  destructive 
wolf,  in  the  state  of  Wyoming,  bounties  were 
offered  amounting  to  five  hundred  dollars.  Of 
course  such  instances  are  rare,  but  in  most  cases, 
the  bounties  are  sufficient  to  make  wolf  trapping 
profitable,  even  in  the  summer,  when  the  fur  is 
of  no  value. 

For  trapping  grey  wolves,  I  recommend  only 
the  Newhouse  trap.  A  special  trap  is  manufac- 
tured, for  grey  wolves,  No.  4^.  It  has  an  eight- 
inch  spread  of  jaws  and  a  five  foot  chain,  fitted 

9 


130  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

with  a  heavy  iron  drag,  and  with  chain,  complete 
weighs  nine  pounds.  However,  many  trappers 
consider  this  trap  too  heavy  and  the  No.  4  New- 
house  trap  is  used  more  than  any  other.  When 
these  traps  are  used,  they  should  be  fitted  with 
a  heavy  chain  of  suitable  length,  and  a  pronged 
drag.  The  length  and  stye  of  chain  needed  will 
depend  much  on  the  method  of  setting.  If  the 
trap  is  to  be  staked,  I  think  the  ordinary  length 
of  chain  is  best  but  unless  there  are  two  or  more 
traps  used  in  a  setting,  I  would  not  advise  stak- 
ing the  trap. 

Some  trappers  do  not  use  a  drag,  but  wire  a 
heavy  stone  to  the  end  of  the  chain.  The  stone 
should  be  fastened  securely,  for  it  will  be  han- 
dled pretty  roughly,  if  a  wolf  gets  in  the  trap. 
For  the  coyote,  I  recommend  the  Nos.  3  and  4 
Newhouse,  the  3  and  4  Hawley  &  Norton,  the 
No.  4  Oneida  Jump  trap  and  Nos.  3  and  4  Vic- 
tor. They  should  also,  be  fitted  with  special 
chains,  unless  the  traps  are  to  be  staked.  Good 
hard-wood  stakes  should  be  provided  and  they 
should  be  about  fifteen  inches  long,  unless  the 
ground  is  very  soft,  in  which  case  they  should 
be  longer.  As  good  hard- wood  is  scarce  in  many 
parts  of  the  west,  it  will  sometimes  be  best  to 
have  iron  picket  pins,  made  by  the  local  black- 
smith. 

The  bait  for  the  grey  wolf  should  be  strictly 


THE   WOLF.  131 

fresh,  for  if  food  is  plenty,  they  are  pretty  par- 
ticular. Any  of  their  favorite  foods  may  be 
used  for  bait.  For  the  coyote,  horse  or  sheep 
is  probably  best,  but  prairie  dogs,  rabbits  (both 
sage  and  jack  rabbits),  sage  hens,  badgers,  etc., 
make  good  bait.  When  using  small  animals  for 
bait,  they  should  never  be  skinned,  for  that 
makes  the  animal  suspicious. 

Many  different  kinds  of  scent  have  been 
used  for  wolves.  Some  have  been  used  success- 
fully but  in  using  scent,  one  should  also  use 
good  sound  judgment,  or  he  will  only  make  the 
animal  suspicious,  and  harder  to  trap.  Beaver 
castor  and  Chinese  musk  are  mildly  attractive. 
Siberian  musk  is  very  attractive  to  both  the  grey 
wolf  and  the  coyote.  Assafoetida  used  alone,  is 
worthless,  but  may  be  mixed  with 'other  scents, 
to  advantage.  The  urine  of  the  wolf,  bottled  and 
kept  until  it  has  become  rancid,  is  a  very  good 
scent,  and  the  sexual  organs  of  the  female,  taken 
when  in  heat,  added  to  the  urine,  makes  it  far 
more  attractive  to  the  male.  This  scent  is  most 
successful  during  the  mating  season  and  should 
be  used  without  bait. 

A  very  effective  scent  and  one  that  is  much 
used  is  made  as  follows :  Place  half  a  pound  of 
raw  beef  or  venison  in  a  wide  mouthed  bottle 
and  let  it  stand  from  two  to  six  weeks,  or  longer, 
or  until  it  is  thoroughly  decayed  and  the  odor 


132 


SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 


has  become  as  offensive  as  possible.  If  the  meat  is 
chopped  fine,  it  will  aid  decomposition.  When 
thoroughly  decayed,  add  a  quart  of  some  liquid 
animal  oil — prairie  dog  oil  is  probably  best,  and 
one-half  ounce  of  assafoetida,  dissolved  in  alco- 
hol and  one  ounce  of  tincture  of  Siberian  musk, 


Scent  Set  for  Wolf. 

or  if  this  can  not  be  obtained,  an  ounce  of  pul- 
verized beaver  castor  or  one  ounce  of  the  com- 
mon musk  used  as  perfumery.  Mix  thoroughly 
and  bottle  securely  until  ready  for  use.  This 
scent  is  attractive  to  both  the  wolf  and  the  coy- 
ote, also  to  cattle  and  horses  and  in  using  it  the 


THE   WOLF.  .  133 

traps  should  only  be  set  in  places  where  they  are 
not  likely  to  be  disturbed  by  stock. 

This  method  of  trapping,  as  well  as  the 
above  scent  formula  is  given  by  Mr.  Vernon 
Bailey,  who  made  an  investigation  of  the  wolf 
trouble  in  the  interests  of  the  Biological  Survey 
and  the  department  of  Forest  Service. 

"The  best  anchor  for  a  wolf  trap  is  a  stone 
drag  of  30  or  40  pounds  weight,  to  which  the 
trap  is  securely  wired.  A  long,  oval  stone  is 
best,  but  a  triangular  or  square  stone  can  be  se- 
curely wired. 

The  trap,  stone  and  chain  should  be  buried 
out  of  sight  close  to  a  runway,  where  the  wolves 
follow  a  trail  or  road,  cross  a  narrow  pass,  or 
visit  a  carcass,  with  the  trap  nearest  the  run- 
way and  when  covered,  flush  with  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  To  keep  the  dirt  from  clogging  un- 
der the  pan,  the  pan  and  jaws  should  be  covered 
with  a  clean,  oval  shaped  paper,  and  over  this 
should  be  sprinkled  fine  earth  until  the  surface 
is  smooth  and  all  traces  of  paper  and  trap,  have 
been  concealed.  The  surface  of  the  ground  and 
the  surroundings  should  appear  as  nearly  as  pos- 
sible, undisturbed.  The  dust  may  be  made  to 
look  natural  again  by  sprinkling  with  water. 

Touching  the  ground,  or  other  objects  with 
the  hands,  spitting  near  the  trap  or  in  any  way 
leaving  a  trace  of  human  odor  nearby,  should 


134  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

be  avoided.  Old,  well  scented  gloves  should  be 
used  while  handling  the  trap  and  making  the 
set,  and  a  little  of  the  scent  used  for  the  traps 
should  be  rubbed  on  the  shoe  soles.  A  piece  of 
old  cowhide  may  be  used  to  stand  on,  and  on 
which  to  place  the  loose  dirt  when  burying  the 
drag  and  trap.  Place  the  scent  about  6  inches 
beyond  the  trap  and  a  very  little  may  be  sprink- 
led over  the  trap,  to  the  trail. 

If  possible,  place  the  trap  between  two  tufts 
of  grass  or  weeds,  so  that  it  can  be  readily  ap- 
proached from  one  side  only." 

As  many  of  the  wTolf  trappers  do  not  believe 
in  scent,  the  following  methods  are  given.  They 
are  methods  that  have  been  thoroughly  tested 
and  are  being  used  today,  by  some  of  the  best 
trappers.  The  first  method  is  a  trail  set,  for 
use  with  a  large  bait,  and  is  equally  good  for 
grey  wolves  and  coyotes.  It  should  be  remem- 
bered, however,  that  trail  sets  of  any  kind,  can 
not  be  used  to  advantage,  if  there  is  much  stock 
about.  Find  a  well  defined  stock  trail  some- 
where on  the  wolf's  route  of  travel  and  set  two 
traps  close  together,  on  the  trail,  then  go  on 
from  fifty  to  one  hundred  yards  and  set  two 
more  in  exactly  the  same  manner.  Use  care  in 
setting  the  traps,  so  as  to  leave  everything  look- 
ing the  same  as  before.  You  can  wear  gloves  if 
you  like,  but  I  do  not  think  there  is  much  gained 


THE   WOLF.  135 

by  doing  so,  for  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  set 
without  leaving  some  human  scent.  The  scent 
will  pass  away  in  a  day  or  two  and  few  trappers 
count  on  making  a  catch  until  after  the  traps 
have  been  set  a  couple  of  days. 

A  large  bait  should  be  placed  close  along 
the  trail  and  midway  between  the  two  settings. 
When  the  wolves  get  to  feeding  on  the  bait  they 
will  travel  on  the  trail  and  will  not  be  looking 
for  danger  so  far  from  the  bait.  If  desired,  only 
one  trap  need  be  set  in  a  place,  but  two  are  bet- 
ter, as  the  wolf  is  likely  to  step  over  the  trap 
if  only  one  is  used.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  set  the 
traps  several  days  before  placing  the  bait,  so  as 
to  allow  time  for  the  human  scent  to  pass  away 
and  the  setting  to  take  on  a  more  smooth  ap- 
pearance. 

Here  is  a  method  that  is  much  used  for 
both  wolves  and  coyotes.  It  requires  three  or 
four  traps  and  they  should  all  be  fastened  se- 
curely to  one  stout,  hard-wood  stake.  Find  a 
smooth,  sandy  spot  and  scoop  out  a  little  hollow 
and  drive  the  stake  down  until  the  top  is  below 
the  level  of  the  ground.  Fasten  your  bait  se- 
curely to  the  top  of  the  stake,  so  as  to  hide  the 
stake  and  prevent  the  wolf  or  coyote  from  tak- 
ing the  bait  away.  If  three  traps  are  used, 
spread  them  out  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  if 
four  are  used,  arrange  them  in  the  form  of  a 


136 


SCIENCE   OF  TRAPPING. 


square.  Set  the  traps  very  carefully,  so  that 
when  they  are  covered,  everything  will  be  smooth 
and  looking  just  like  it  did  before.  As  the  bait 
is  fastened,  the  wolf  can  not  take  it  away,  and 
in  trying  to  pull  it  up,  will  step  in  one  of  the 
traps.  He  is  almost  certain  to  get  in  another 


w  i 


Bank  Set  for  Wolf  and  Coyote. 

one  when  he  commences  to  struggle,  and  there 
is  little  danger  of  him  escaping.    If  a  place  can    .** 
be  found  where  the  traps  may  be  set  between 
bunches  of  weeds,  cactus,  etc.,  so  much  the  bet- 
ter. 

Another  very  good  method,  is  to  set  a  trap 
on  top  of  a  straight  or  over-hanging  bank,  from 


THE  WOLF.  137 

four  to  eight  feet  high,  so  that  when  the  animal 
is  caught  it  will  leap  or  fall  over  the  bank  and 
be  unable  to  get  back,  where  it  would  have  a 
chance  to  struggle.  The  set  is  made  as  follows : 
Find  two  bunches  of  cactus,  growing  on  the  top 
of  the  bank,  fix  the  bait  on  the  very  edge  of  the 
bank,  between  the  two  bunches  of  cactus.  Fasten 
the  bait  with  a  small  stake,  and  drive  the  stake 
out  of  sight  in  the  bait.  Stake  the  trap  just  the 
length  of  the  chain  from  the  edge  of  the  bank, 
driving  stake  out  of  sight,  and  set  the  trap 
between  the  cactus  and  about  twenty  inches 
back  from  the  bait,  somewhat  farther  if  grey 
wolves  are  expected.  Cover  the  trap  very  care- 
fully. If  two  bunches  of  cactus  can  not  be 
found  growing  close  together,  get  some  and 
place  it  there,  so  that  it  will  look  natural,  and 
have  the  appearance  of  having  grown  there. 

A  single  trap  may  be  set  almost  anywhere, 
and  small  pieces  of  bait  scattered  around  the 
trap.  In  this  way  you  can  bait  the  trap  with- 
out dismounting  from  your  horse  and  avoid  leav- 
ing human  scent. 

Mr.  Vasma  Brown,  a  noted  trapper  of 
Texas,  gives  the  following  method:  "Take  a 
large  piece  of  fresh  meat  and  drag  it  along  a 
trail.  Stop  occasionally  and  set  a  trap,  just  out- 
side of  the  edge  of  the  trail,  where  the  stock  will 
»ot  step  in  it.  Dig  out  a  place  for  the  trap  and 


138  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

set  the  trap,  covering  first  with  a  piece  of  paper 
and  finishing  with  sand,  leaving  the  place  look- 
ing just  like  it  did  before.  Cut  some  of  the  meat 
in  small  pieces  and  scatter  them  around  the 
trap.  Use  no  scent ;  fresh  pork  is  the  best  scent 
you  can  get.  If  you  can  find  some  animal  that 
the  wolves  themselves  have  killed,  do  not  fail  to 
set  traps  there  immediately." 

When  trapping  around  a  large  bait,  some- 
times the  animals  will  not  approach  close 
enough  to  be  caught.  In  such  cases  a  small  bait 
may  sometimes  be  used  to  advantage,  by  setting 
traps  a  short  distance  away.  The  tail  of  a  skunk 
is  said  to  be  an  unfailing  lure.  Do  not  smoke  or 
grease  your  traps  or  the  wolf  is  sure  to  locate 
them  at  once. 

Sometimes  a  badger  will  be  caught  in  a  wolf 
trap.  If  so,  do  not  skin  it,  but  kill  it  and  set  the 
trap  close  by.  It  will  make  a  fine  bait,  and  the 
trap  may  be  set  in  the  ground  that  the  animal 
has  dug  up,  leaving  no  signs  of  human  presence. 

When  trapping  during  freezing  weather,  fill 
in  around  the  jaws  and  springs  of  the  traps  with 
sage  leaves,  or  some  similar  dry  material,  be- 
fore covering  with  dirt. 

Always  carry  a  rifle  with  you  when  tending 
the  traps.  You  will  get  shots  at  wolves  or  coy- 
otes almost  every  day. 


THE   WOLF.  139 

When  visiting  wolf  traps,  always  go  on 
horseback  and  if  possible  avoid  dismounting 
near  the  traps. 

Dark,  cold,  stormy  nights  are  the  best  for 
the  wolf  trapper. 

Use  plenty  of  traps.  The  more  chances  you 
have,  the  better  success  you  will  have. 

Sometimes  a  coyote  will  uncover  a  trap  or 
dig  it  up  and  spring  it.  Nothing  can  prevent 
this.  Your  only  remedy  is  to  have  lots  of  traps 
set,  and  if  he  fools  you  in  one  set,  you  may  fool 
him  in  another. 

In  warm  weather,  if  you  can  set  out  a  line 
of  traps  just  before  a  rain,  your  chances  for 
making  a  good  catch  are  very  good,  as  the  rain 
washes  away  all  human  odors,  and  helps  to 
smooth  over  the  sets.  In  winter,  a  light  snow 
fall  will  often  help  to  increase  the  catch. 

The  tracks  of  the  wolf  resemble  those  of  the 
dog  and  fox.  An  average  full  grown  grey  wolf 
will  make  a  foot  print  about  three  inches  wide 
and  four  inches  long  and  will  step  about  twenty 
inches.  The  average  ^ized  coyote  will  make  a 
footprint  about  two  inches  in  length  and  the 
length  of  step  is  about  sixteen  inches. 


140 


SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   BEAR. 

CHE  bear  family  is  a  large  one,  and  its 
members  are  found  scattered  over  the 
greater  part  of  the  globe,  Australia  and 
Africa  being  excepted.  They  range 
through  all  latitudes,  from  the  equator  to  the 
poles.  The  following  species  have  been  de- 
scribed by  naturalists :  Polar  bear,  grizzly  bear, 
European  Brown  bear,  American  Black  bear, 
Alaskan  Brown  bear,  Inland  White  bear,  Glacier 
bear  of  Alaska,  Asiatic  bear,  Siberian  bear, 
Spectacled  bear  of  South  America,  Thibetan 
bear,  Bornean  bear  and  Malay  bear.  The  three 
latter  are  called  Sun  bears,  from  their  habit  of 
basking  in  the  rays  of  the  mid-day  sun.  They 
are  the  smallest  members  of  the  family  and  live 
exclusively  on  verretPbles. 

Bears  differ  from  each  other  in  conse- 
quences of  the  differences  of  climate,  more  than 
almost  any  other  animal.  Those  that  inhabit 
the  far  north  and  such  high,  cold  regions  as  the 
Eocky  mountains,  are  monsters,  of  great 
strength  and  ferocity,  while  those  that  inhabit 

141 


142  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

warm  countries  are  small,  feeble  and  inoffen- 
sive. The  smallest  of  all  is  the  Bornean  bear, 
while  the  Alaskan  Brown  bear  is  probably  the 
largest.  The  Grizzly  or  Silver  Tip,  and  the 
Polar  bears  are  very  large. 

The  American  Black  bear  is  probably  the 
most  numerous  of  the  family,  and  is  one  of 
most  interest  to  the  trappers.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  prairie  country,  they  are  found 
scattered  over  almost  all  of  the  United  States, 
and  a  large  part  of  Canada  and  Alaska.  The 
Cinnamon  is  only  a  color  variety  of  the  Black 
bear,  differing  only  in  color.  Both  kinds  are 
found  in  the  same  litter.  In  some  sections,  as 
for  instance  in  some  of  the  northwestern  states, 
and  in  Mexico,  the  Cinnamon  bear  predominates, 
while  in  the  east  and  north  they  are  very  rare. 
The  average  weight  of  the  Black  bear,  when  full 
grown,  is  from  two  hundred  to  three  hundred 
pounds,  but  specimens  have  been  killed  weigh- 
ing far  more  than  these  figures.  The  fur  is  fine 
and  soft  and  usually  of  a  jet  black  color. 

Bears  of  all  kinds,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Sun  bears  and  the  Polar  bear,  feed  on  both 
vegetable  and  animal  food.  The  Polar  bear  lives 
entirely  on  fish  and  flesh.  Bears,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Polar  species,  hibernate  in  win- 
ter. They  usually  den  in  the  ground  or  rocks, 
but  sometimes  in  a  hollow  log  or  tree. 


THE   BEAE  143 

The  mating  season  is  in  July  and  August 
and  the  young,  usually  two,  $re  born  in  Janu- 
ary, February  and  March.  They  remain  with 
the  mother  until  fall,  and  sometimes  longer. 

In  sections  where  they  are  found  in  fair 
numbers,  they  form  trails  through  passes  in  the 
mountains,  along  the  bottoms  of  the  cliffs, 
around  points  of  the  lakes,  and  in  other  places 
of  like  nature.  These  trails  may  be  easily  dis- 
tinguished from  the  paths  of  other  animals,  by 
the  marks  on  the  trees.  At  intervals,  all  along 
the  trail,  the  bear  will  stand  on  his  hind  feet,  by 
the  side  of  a  tree,  gnaw  a  circle  around  the  tree, 
about  five  feet  above  the  ground.  I  am  told  that 
this  marking  is  done  during  the  mating  season. 
The  trails  are  traveled  more  in  the  spring  and 
summer  than  in  the  fall. 

Bears  are  very  fond  of  fish,  and  in  the  north, 
when  fish  are  in  the  streams,  spawning,  the 
bears  spend  much  of  their  time  fishing,  at  the 
foot  of  the  falls.  The  sucker  is  the  first  fish  to 
spawn,  and  as  soon  as  they  are  gone,  the  pike 
come,  and  the  bears  fare  well  for  a  couple  of 
weeks.  After  that  they  feed  on  the  leaves  of 
the  poplar,  insects,  berries  and  nuts,  and  what- 
ever meat  they  can  find.  In  some  sections  they 
remain  in  the  same  locality  during  the  entire 
year;  in  other  places  they  migrate  on  the  ap- 


144  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

proach  of  cold  weather  and  do  not  return  until 
spring. 

The  bear  becomes  prime  about  the  first  to 
the  fifteenth  of  November,  and  remains  in  good 
condition  until  late  in  the  spring.  In  northern 
sections  they  do  not  commence  shedding  until 
June  fifteenth,  and  sometimes  even  later.  The 
best  time  to  trap  them  is  in  the  spring  just  after 
the  snow  is  gone,  but  many  are  trapped  in  the 
fall. 

The  traps  for  black  bears  are  the  Nos.  5  and 
15  and  the  Nos.  50  and  150  Newhouse.  For 
larger  bears  the  No.  6  is  the  trap  to  use,  al- 
though many  grizzly  bears  are  caught  in  the 
No.  5. 

The  most  common  method  for  trapping 
bears  is  the  following :  Make  a  sort  of  enclosure 
of  old  logs,  brush,  etc.,  in  the  form  of  a  V,  about 
eight  feet  long  and  two  or  three  feet  wide  at 
the  entrance.  It  should  be  three  feet  high,  be- 
hind, but  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  it  so  high 
in  front.  The  bait  should  be  fastened  in  the  back 
of  the  pen,  and  the  trap  set  in  the  entrance. 

Take  a  small,  springy  stick,  about  eight 
inches  long,  and  spring  it  under  the  pan  of  the 
trap,  to  prevent  small  animals  from  being 
caught.  To  do  this,  stick  one  end  firmly  in  the 
ground,  and  bend  the  other  end  down,  and  hook 
it  under  the  pan.  The  trap  when  set,  should 


THE  BEAR  145 

support  a  weight  of  twenty-five  pounds,  but  it 
is  my  opinion  that  most  trappers  allow  the  trap 
to  spring  too  easily. 

Always  turn  the  loose  jaw  up,  and  work 
from  in  under,  for  the  sake  of  safety.  Now  drive 
down  a  couple  of  stakes  on  each  side  of  the  trap, 
so  as  to  leave  only  a  narrow  passage;  cover  the 
trap  with  leaves  or  moss.  It  is  a  good  idea  to 
put  a  good  sized  piece  of  moss  over  the  pan.  To 
cause  the  bear  to  step  in  the  center  of  the  trap, 
some  trappers  put  sharp  sticks  around  the  out- 
side of  the  jaws,  others  lay  a  stick  across  the 
mouth  of  the  pen,  about  six  or  eight  inches  high, 
and  close  up  to  the  jaws.  In  stepping  over  it, 
the  bear  is  more  likely  to  put  his  foot  in  the 
trap.  The  trap  should  be  fastened  to  a  heavy 
clog  of  hardwood.  For  the  Black  bear,  the  clog 
should  be  about  six  or  seven  feet,  long,  and  just 
small  enough  to  go  through  the  ring  on  the 
chain.  The  ring  should  be  slipped  on  to  the 
middle  and  fastened  with  a  spike.  For  the  griz- 
zly and  other  large  bears,  the  clog  should  be 
larger. 

This  is  the  best  method,  but  if  you  nip  a 
bear  once,  you  will  have  to  try  some  other  meth- 
od, and  it  is  not  likely  that  you  will  catch  him, 
even  then,  as  they  become  very  cunning.  Do  not 
set  the  trap  at  the  same  place,  but  find  his  trail, 

10 


146  SCIENCE   OF  TRAPPING. 

and  make  a  blind  set ;  preferably  where  the  trail 
leads  through  a  pool  of  water.  Of  course  you 
must  be  sure  that  no  person  will  travel  on  the 
trail.  Some  trappers  prefer  to  hang  a  bait  about 
six  feet  above  the  trap  and  do  not  use  any  pen. 

Bears  may  also  be  trapped  successfully  with 
snares  and  deadfalls  but  the  objection  to  these 
traps  is  that  the  animal  is  killed  instantly  and 
if  the  traps  are  not  visited  daily,  the  skin  is 
likely  to  spoil. 

For  bait,  there  is  nothing  better  than  fish, 
but  pork,  (either  salt  or  fresh),  mutton,  beef  or 
any  kind  of  large  game  is  good.  Even  the  flesh 
of  the  bear  makes  fair  bait.  Beaver,  otter  or 
muskrat  meat  is  also  good.  Honey  is  very  at- 
tractive. 

There  are  a  number  of  scents  that  are  at- 
tractive to  the  bear,  such  as  fish  oil,  oil  of  anise 
and  beaver  castor.  The  scent  recommended  for 
the  raccoon  is  good  for  the  bear. 

The  track  of  the  bear  is  easily  distinguished 
from  that  of  other  animals,  because  of  its  large 
size.  Ordinarily,  the  bear's  mode  of  locomotion 
is  a  shuffling  walk.  The  footprints  of  a  large 
black  bear  will  measure  about  eight  inches  in 
length. 


The  Raccoon. 
(147) 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

THE    RACCOON 

CHE  raccoon  is  allied  to  the  bear  family.    It 
is  found  only  on  the  Western  Continent, 
where  it  is  represented  by  two  species; 
the  common  raccoon  of  the  United  States 
and    the    crab-eating    raccoon    of    the    tropics. 
The    common    raccoon,    called     coon    by    the 
hunters  and  trappers,  is  found  throughout  the 
Mississippi  Valley  and  all  of  the  states  east  and 
also  in  the  Pacific  Coast  states,  Western  British 
Columbia,  Lower  Ontario,  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotia.     They  are  found  in  greatest  num- 
bers in  those  states  bordering  on  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico. 

The  common  raccoon  is  the  one  of  principal 
interest  to  the  trapper  and  fur  dealer.  The  body 
is  short  and  stout,  like  that  of  the  badger.  Its 
head  resembles  that  of  the  fox.  Its  tail  is  ten 
or  twelve  inches  long,  thick  and  bushy.  The  feet 
are  bare  and  the  toes  long.  The  general  color  is 
grey,  the  tips  of  the  hairs  being  darker.  Occa- 
sionally a  very  dark  one  is  found,  in  some  cases 
being  almost  black.  The  tail  is  ringed  with 

148 


THE   RACCOON.  149 

black  and  a  black  band  crosses  the  eyes.  The 
raccoon  is  a  nocturnal  animal,  is  omnivorous 
and  hibernates  during  cold  weather,  coming  out 
in  search  of  food  only  on  warm  nights. 

This  food  consists  of  green  corn,  grapes  and 
other  fruits,  fish,  frogs,  clams,  birds  and  their 
eggs  and  they  are  also  fond  of  poultry.  In 
search  of  food,  they  travel  mostly  along  the 
streams  and  in  early  fall,  in  the  corn  fields. 

They  den  in  hollow  trees,  having  an  en- 
trance at  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
ground.  In  mountainous  districts,  they  also  den 
in  holes  among  the  rocks. 

The  young  are  born  in  April  and  May  and 
from  two  to  six  are  brought  forth  at  a  time. 
Their  mating  season  is  generally  about  the  last 
of  February  and  the  beginning  of  March,  and  at 
this  time  the  males  travel  considerably,  crawl- 
ing into  a  hollow  tree  wherever  daylight  over- 
takes them. 

In  the  North  they  become  prime  about  No- 
vember 1st ;  the  season  being  later  in  the  South. 
They  remain  in  good  condition  until  late  in  the 
spring.  The  fur  is  used  mostly  for  coats  and 
robes. 

The  nature  and  habits  of  the  raccoon,  like 
all  other  animals  differs  considerably  in  differ- 
ent localities.  In  most  sections  they  are  very 
easily  trapped,  but  those  found  in  some  parts 


150  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

of  the  Pacific  Coast  are  said  to  be  quite  cunning. 
Any  of  the  articles  of  food  mentioned  above,  will 
make  good  bait;  fresh  fish  however,  being  pre- 
ferred. The  traps  to  use  are  the  No.  1^  New- 
house  or  Hawley  &  Norton,  the  No.  2  Victor,  and 
the  Nos.  2  and  3  Oneida  Jump  and  Blake  & 
Lamb  traps.  The  trap  should  be  fastened  to  a 
clog,  and  in  some  cases  an  iron  drag  could  be 
used  to  advantage,  as  the  coon  will  get  fastened 
up  on  the  first  brush  he  comes  to. 

The  most  common  method  is  to  set  the  trap 
in  the  entrance  of  a  pen  of  stakes,  at  the  edge 
of  the  water  where  the  animals  travel.  The  trap 
may  be  set  dry  or  under  water,  as  preferred,  and 
the  bait  should  be  placed  in  the  back  of  the  pen. 

Another  very  good  method,  much  used  in  the 
South,  is  to  fasten  a  piece  of  bright  tin  or  a 
piece  of  a  white  dish,  on  the  pan  of  the  trap  and 
set  the  trap  under  about  two  inches  of  water, 
near  the  bank.  No  bait  is  used,  but  a  little  scent 
may  be  used  on  the  bank  to  good  advantage. 

The  Southern  Trappers  sometimes  find  a 
tree,  stump  or  rock  in  the  edge  of  the  water, 
and  set  the  trap  in  the  water,  just  where  the 
'coon  will  walk,  when  passing  around  the  ob- 
struction. A  fence  made  of  brush  will  answer 
the  same  purpose. 

Where  the  bank  is  steep  and  the  water  is 
shallow,  dig  a  six  inch  hole,  straight  into  the 


THE   RACCOON.  151 

bank  at  the  edge  of  the  water.  Fasten  some 
bait  in  the  back  of  the  hole  and  set  the  trap  in 
the  water,  directly  in  front  of  the  hole. 

Where  coons*  are/  visiting  a  corn  field,  find 
where  they  go  through  the  fence  and  you  will- 
sometimes  find  a  well  beaten  trail.  Set  the  trap 
in  the  trail,  covered,  and  fasten  to  a  clog. 

If  you  find  a  log  lying  across  the  stream  and 
there  are  signs  of  'coons  about,  cut  a  notch  in 
the  top  of  the' log  and  set  the  trap  in  the  notch, 
covering  with  rotten  wood  or  moss.  You  are 
likely  to  catch  a  fox  in  a  set  of  this  kind. 

When  a  den  tree  can  be  found,  cut  a  pole 
five  or  six  feet  long  and  six  inches  thick ;  lean  it 
against  the  tree  and  set  the  trap  on  the  pole. 
Cover  the  trap  lightly  with  moss  and  staple  to 
the  tree. 

Any  natural  enclosure  along  a  stream,  such 
as  a  hollow  log  or  a  hole  under  a  stump,  makes 
a  good  place  to  set  a  trap.  When  trapping  for 
foxes  with  water  sets,  many  coons  will  be  caught 
in  the  traps. 

One  of  the  best  scents  for  'coon  is  made  as 
follows:  To  a  pint  of  fish  oil,  add  twenty  or 
thirty  drops  of  oil  of  anise  and  two  ounces  of 
strained  honey.  Pure  fish  oil  is  used  by  some 
trappers  and  beaver  castor,  muskrat  musk  and 
oil  of  anise  are  also  good. 


152  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

The  trail  of  the  raccoon  is  somewhat  like 
that  of  the  mink,  but  the  tracks  are  larger.  The 
animal  makes  the  print  of  the  entire  foot  and  the 
long  slender  toes  show  plainly,.  The  print  of  the 
hind  foot  will  be  from  two  and  a  quarter  to  three 
inches  in  length. 


The  Badger. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  BADGER. 

BADGERS  are  burrowing,  carnivorous  an- 
imals. They  are  found  in  North  America 
and  various  parts  of  the  Old  World;  one 
species  being  found  in  Europe,  one  in  In- 
dia and  another  in  Japan.  There  are  several  va- 
rieties of  the  American  species  and  they  are 
found  at  present  only  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  although  formerly  they  ranged  as  far  east 
as  Ohio.  They  are  perhaps  most  numerous  on 
the  High,  dry  plains  just  east  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  range  from  Mexico  to  well  up 
into  Canada.  They  were  at  one  time  quite  nu- 
merous in  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  as  well  as 
others  of  the  Northern  and  Central  States,  but 
today  are  found  but  rarely  in  those  sections. 
Wisconsin  is  sometimes  called  the  "Badger 
State"  because  of  the  numbers  of  these  animals 
found  there  by  the  early  settlers. 

The  badger  is  an  animal  of  peculiar  build, 
having  a  heavy,  broad  body,  at  times  appearing 
almost  flat,  as  when  it  crouches  close  to  the 
ground,  and  the  legs  are  short  and  stout.  The 


THE   BADGER.  155 

feet  are  furnished  with  long,  strong  claws, 
adapted  for  digging.  The  tail  is  short,  the  ears 
short  and  round,  the  eyes  small  and  black.  A 
full  grown  specimen  will  measure  about  two  feet 
or  more  from  the  end  of  the  nose  to  the  base  of 
the  tail. 

The  color  is  a  grizzly,  yellowish  grey,  being 
darker  on  the  back.  A  white  line  traverses  the 
face,  head  and  neck,  bordered  with  black,  which 
latter  marking  extends  around  the  eyes.  The 
sides  of  the  face  and  the  throat  are  white,  and 
there  is  a  black  patch  in  front  of  each  ear.  The 
legs  and  feet  are  black.  The  back  and  sides  of 
the  body  are  mottled  somewhat  by  narrow 
streaks  of  darker  fur. 

The  fur,  or  more  properly  speaking,  the 
hair,  is  long  and  appears  to  be  parted  on  the 
back  as  it  hangs  off  to  either  side  from  a  line 
down  the  center  of  the  back.  Each  separate  hair 
shows  a  number  of  colors  and  it  is  this  which 
gives  the  animal  the  peculiar  grizzled  appear- 
ance. Although  the  animal  is,  as  before  stated, 
of  a  heavy  build,  the  casual  observer  would 
scarcely  credit  the  animal  with  the  great  strength 
which  it  really  possesses,  because  of  the  appa- 
rently soft  and  flabby  body,  however,  the  strength 
of  the  animal  is  surprising.  They  are  slow  mov- 
ing creatures  and  were  it  not  for  their  strength 


156  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

and  powers  of  digging,  they  would  have  difficulty 
in  procuring  a  sufficient  amount  of  food. 

They  feed  on  the  small  burrowing  animals 
mainly,  such  as  the  prairie  dog,  the  gopher  and 
the  pouched  rat,  and  they  are  enabled  to  capture 
many  of  these  animals  by  digging  them  out  of 
the  dens.  They  also  eat  mice  and  reptiles  and 
the  eggs  and  young  of  ground-nesting  birds. 

Being  sucli  an  expert  digger,  the  badger 
makes  a  deep  den.  The  entrance  to  the  den  is 
wide  and  surrounded  by  a  mound  of  earth.  In 
addition  to  the  main  den  the  animal  has  a  num- 
ber of  others  nearby,  so  that  one  would  scarcely 
know  which  of  them  is  the  main  burrow.  They 
are  hibernating  animals  and  remain  in  the  dens 
during  the  cold  portion  of  the  winter. 

The  animal  is  of  a  rather  timid  nature,  and 
when  alarmed  seeks  safety  in  the  den  if  possible, 
but  when  surpised  far  from  the  den,  will  hide 
wherever  possible  and  failing  to  find  cover  will 
flatten  down  close  to  the  ground  and  by  remain- 
ing very  quiet,  will  try  to  escape  notice.  How- 
ever when  pursued,  and  finding  escape  impossi- 
ble, they  will  fight  desperately. 

.  The  young  are  born  in  early  spring,  there 
being  as  a  rule  three  or  four  in  a  litter. 

The  fur  of  the  badger  is  used  for  making 
brushes  of  various  kinds,  its  peculiar  texture 


THE   BADGER.  157 

making  it  especially  desirable  for  this  purpose. 
It  is  not  used  for  wearing  apparel. 

The  No.  3  trap  is  the  proper  size  to  use  for 
this  animal,  and  only  the  stronger  ones  should 
be  used.  They  are  caught  and  held  occasionally 
in  smaller  and  weaker  traps,  yet  such  cases  are 
exceptional. 

As  the  animal  is  not  a  valuable  one  and  is 
not  found  in  large  numbers  in  any  one  locality, 
they  are  not  much  sought  by  the  trappers  and 
the  most  of  the  Skins  which  reach  the  market  are 
from  the  animals  caught  in  traps  set  for  other 
game.  The  wolf  and  coyote  trappers  catch  them 
occasionally,  as  they  may  be  captured  by  any 
of  the  methods  used  for  those  animals. 

Perhaps  the  best  way  in  which  to  capture 
the  badger  is  to  set  the  trap  at  the  entrance  to 
the  main  burrow,  that  is,  the  one  showing  the 
most  use.  The  trap  should  be  set  just  outside  of 
the  entrance  and  should  be  securely  staked,  using 
a  long  stake  driven  out  of  sight  in  the  ground. 
The  jaws  of  the  trap  should  be  parallel  with  the 
passage,  so  that  the  badger  will  step  between 
the  -jaws,  and  not  over  them.  It  should  be 
bedded  down  so  that  the  covering  will  be  flush 
with  the  surroundings. 

Traps  may  also  be  set  with  bait.  On  the 
plains,  material  for  enclosures  can  not  be  found 
but  the  traps  may  be  set  between  clumps  of 


158  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

sage  brush  or  cactus,  placing  the  bait  behind 
the  trap,  the  setting  being  so  arranged  that  the 
badger  will  be  obliged  to  walk  over  the  trap  in 
order  to  reach  the  bait.  The  trap  should  be  se- 
curely staked  in  all  cases.  For  bait,  rabbit,  sage 
hen,  prairie  dog  or  almost  any  kind  of  fresh 
meat  may  be  used. 


H 


§ 


(159) 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  OPOSSUM. 

CHE  opossum  is  the  only  American  member 
of  the  family  of  pouched  animals.  Only 
one  species  is  found  in  this  country  al- 
though others  are  found  in  other  parts  of 
the  world.  Of  the  American  species,  naturalists 
have  discovered  three  varieties,  namely  the  Vir- 
ginia opossum,  the  Florida  opossum  and  the 
Texas  opossum,  all  very  similar. 

The  Virginia  opossum  is  the  most  common 
and  the  most  widely  distributed,  being  found 
as  far  north  as  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  and  from 
there  westward  to  Nebraska  and  southward.  In 
the  southwest  the  Texas  opossum  is  found. 

In  general  form  the  opossum  resembles  the 
house  rat  but  is  much  larger.  The  tail  is  almost 
bare  and  is  prehensile,  that  is,  it  is  capable  of 
holding  on  to  anything  which  it  encircles.  The 
muzzle  is  long  and  pointed,  the  ears  bare. 

In  color  this  animal  is  generally  a  grizzly 
gray  but  some  specimens  are  much  darker  than 
others.  The  fur  is  long,  soft  and  fluffy. 

160 


THE  OPOSSUM.  161 

The  opossum  dens  in  the  ground  and  the 
abode  is  usually  located  under  a  stump  or  rock. 
The  burrows  are  shallow  and  terminate  in  a 
larger  cavity  lined  with  dry  leaves.  They  also 
sometimes  locate  in  hollow  logs.  They  are  found 
only  in  timbered  districts  and  are  active  climb- 
ers. Their  food  consists  mainly  of  mice,  eggs 
and  young  birds  and  insects,  but  they  are  also 
fond  of  poultry  and  almost  any  kind  of  flesh, 
fresh  or  tainted.  They  are  not  strictly  carnivor- 
ous as  they  feed  on  persimmons,  paw-paws,  polk 
berries  and  other  wild  fruits. 

They  are  slow  moving  and  stupid  creatures 
and  have  no  means  of  defending  themselves 
.against  their  enemies.  It  is  true  that  they  do 
have  a  habit  of  feigning  death  when  frightened 
but  this  trick  is  of  no  value  in  case  of  an  attack 
from  other  animals,  for  no  wild  animal  would  be 
deceived,  and  even  if  it  were,  there  would  be  no 
hope  for  the  opossum  for  it  would  only  be  a  case 
of  a  meal  already  prepared  for  the  attacking 
animal.  On  other  occasions  instead  of  feigning 
death  the  animal  will  open  its  mouth  and  pre- 
sent a  rather  fierce  appearance,  but  there  is  lit- 
tle danger  of  them  biting. 

While  the  opossum  is  not  a  hibernating  ani- 
mal it  remains  in  its  den  during  cold  weather. 
It  is  a  southern  animal  and  the  severe  winters  in 

ll 


162  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

the  northern  parts  of  its  range  are  not  to  the 
animal's  liking,  They  are  most  active  on  warm, 
damp  nights  for  they  do  not  like  to  move  about 
when  the  weather  is  dry  and  the  leaves  are 
rustly. 

They  are  very  prolific,  bringing  forth  from 
six  to  twelve  young  at  a  litter  and  in  some  cases 
even  more.  When  newly  born  they  are  very 
small  and  imperfectly  formed  and  are  carried  by 
the  mother  in  the  pouch  on  the  under  side  of  the 
body  until  large  enough  to  travel. 

They  become  prime  about  the  second  week 
of  November  in  the  North  and  remain  in  good 
condition  until  March.  In  the  South  they  do 
not  become  prime  until  about  December  1st 
and  commence  to  shed  much  earlier  than  in  the 
North.  The  fur  is  not  a  very  valuable  one  but 
there  is  a  growing  demand  for  the  flesh  which 
is  used  as  food  and  in  many  places  will  meet  with 
ready  sale. 

I  recommend  the  No.  1  trap  for  this  animal 
and  those  of  medium  strength  of  spring  only,  as 
the  opossum's  foot  and  leg  is  tender,  and  if  the 
bones  are  broken  the  animal  is  likely  to  escape. 
They  do  not  struggle  much,  however,  and  com- 
paratively few  escape  from  the  traps. 

I  set  my  traps  in  the  thick  woods,  usually 
in  the  gullies  also  along  the  edges  of  the  woods, 
along  fences,  etc.  The  opossum  is  possessed  of 


THE   OPOSSUM.  163  , 

no  cunning  whatever,  and  no  special  care  is 
needed  in  setting  the  traps  if  this  animal  alone 
is  expected,  however,  it  is  always  best  to  use 
care  in  setting  for  the  most  stupid  animals,  as 
one  never  knows  what  animal  may  pass  that 
way.  Whenever  possible  I  place  the  trap  in  a 
natural  enclosure,  such  as  a  hollow  in  the  side 
of  a  stump  or  tree,  a  hollow  between  two  spread- 
ing roots,  an  opening  among  rocks  or  in  a  hollow 
log.  Failing  to  find  any  such  place  I  construct  a 
small  enclosure  of  stakes,  bark,  stones  or  pieces 
of  rotten  wood,  whichever  is  most  convenient; 
and  set  the  trap  in  the  entrance  nesting  it  down 
and  covering  with  whatever  is  found  nearby. 

The  trap  may  be  staked,  stapled  or  fastened 
to  a  clog.  For  bait  I  use  rabbit,  fowl,  muskrat 
or  small  birds  of  any  kind.  Bait  may  be  fresh 
or  tainted  as  the  opossum  is  not  particular.  I 
have  heard  of  many  fancy  sets  and  baits  and 
have  given  some  of  them  a  trial,  but  find  the 
method  given  above  to  be  the  most  satisfactory. 

Opossums  will  sometimes  be  caught  in  traps 
set  for  skunks,  foxes  and  other  animals  and 
there  are  probably  more  of  them  caught  in  such 
sets  than  in  any  other.  They  may  also  be 
caught  in  wooden  traps. 

I  have  caught  these  animals  in  traps  set  on 
logs  spanning  the  streams,  also  at  the  entrance 
of  the  dens,  but  if  I  were  setting  many  traps  for 


164  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

opossums  I  would  use  the  above  method  mostly. 
The  opossum  makes  a  wandering,  aimless 
sort  of  trail,  quite  broad  for  an  animal  of  its 
size  and  the  toes  are  turned  outward  in  walking. 
The  footprints  of  the  average  opossum  will 
measure  about  one  and  one-fourth  inch  in  dia- 
meter—  that  is,  the  front  foot — the  print  of  the 
hind  foot  being  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  inch 
larger. 


THE  LYNX. 


165 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   LYNX 

CHE  Lynx  family  is  a  branch  of  the  cat  tribe 
and  its  members  are  found  in  various 
parts  of  the  world,  but  it  is  the  European 
and  Canadian  species  that  are  of  the  most 
importance,  when  viewed  from  the  hunters'  and 
trappers'  standpoint.  There  are  two  species  in 
North  America,  namely,  the  Canada  Lynx  and 
the  Bay  Lynx  or  wild  cat.  The  Canada  Lynx  is 
the  most  valuable  and  they  are  most  sought  by 
the  trappers.  This  animal  is  found  throughout 
practically  all  of  Canada,  Alaska  and  Newfound- 
land, also  in  all  of  the  most  northern  states  and 
in  the  Eocky  mountain  region  extending  down 
into  Wyoming  and  perhaps  still  farther  south. 
Those  found  in  Newfoundland  and  Alaska  are 
of  slightly  different  varieties. 

The  Lynx,  when  full  grown  will  measure 
about  three  or  three  and  a  half  feet  in  length  and 
the  weight  is  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds,  but 
occasional  specimens  will  weigh  forty  pounds 
or  even  more.  They  are  very  "cat  like"  in  ap- 
pearance but  the  legs  are  rather  long,  the  feet 

166 


THE   LYNX.  167 

large  and  the  tail  very  short.  The  feet  are  heav- 
ily furred  and  the  toes  connected  with  a  web,  the 
whole  forming  a  sort  of  snowshoe,  whi^h  pre- 
vents the  lynx  from  sinking  in  the  loose  snow. 
The  ears  are  small  and  pointed  and  tipped  with 
a  pencil  of  black  hairs.  The  tail  is  also  tipped 
with  black.  The  general  color  in  winter  is  a  sil- 
ver grey  on  the  back,  shading  to  white  on  the 
under  parts.  In  summer  they  take  on  a  reddish 
color.  The  fur  is  long  and  soft  and  there  is  a 
ruff  of  longer  fur  on  the  sides  of  the  face,  near 
the  throat. 

The  young  are  born  usually  in  May  and 
there  are  from  three  to  seven  in  a  litter.  The 
entire  family  will  be  found  living  in  the  same 
locality  and  although  each  will  have  its  own 
particular  route  of  travel,  they  frequently  travel 
together  along  the  border  of  certain  swamps  and 
occasionally  the  entire  family  will  start  off  to- 
gether and  look  for  a  better  feeding  ground.  They 
live  mostly  in  the  swampy  parts  of  the  more 
open  country,  being  rarely  found  in  the  great 
bush.  In  the  west  they  are  found  in  the  tim- 
bered parts  of  the  mountains.  In  the  North, 
you  will  find  their  tracks  leading  along  the  edges 
of  the  swamps  and  alder  or  willow  thickets. 

Their  food  consists  mostly  of  rabbits  and 
partridge.  The  snow  shoe  rabbit  falls  an  easy 


168  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

victim.  They  have  been  known  to  kill  small  deer 
and  caribou,  but  only  in  very  rare  instances. 

There  has  been  considerable  controversy 
among  naturalists  regarding  the  courage  of  the 
lynx.  From  my  own  observations,  I  should  say 
that  they  are  very  cowardly,  as  a  rule,  but  all 
rules  have  exceptions.  I  know  of  two  instances 
in  which  the  lynx  has  stood  his  ground  for  a 
man,  and  in  one  case,  for  a  number  of  men. 
This  lynx  was  killed  by  an  axe  thrown  by  one 
of  the  men  at  a  distance  of  twelve  feet. 

In  traveling,  the  lynx  usually  walks,  only 
running  when  in  pursuit  of  some  animal,  and 
always  traveling  the  same  route.  They  are  ac- 
tive all  winter,  but  travel  most  in  fall  and 
spring.  They  become  prime  about  the  first  of 
November  and  if  the  spring  is  late,  will  remain 
in  good  condition  until  the  middle  of  April. 

The  European  lynx  closely  resembles  the 
Canadian  in  habits  and  appearance.  Its  gen- 
eral color  is  a  dull  reddish  grey,  mottled  with 
black.  In  winter  the  fur  is  longer  and  lighter 
colored  than  in  summer.  It  is  found  from  the 
Pryenees  to  the  Far  North,  and  eastward 
throughout  northern  Asia. 

As  a  rule,  the  lynx  is  easily  taken  with  the 
steel  trap,  unless  food  is  very  plentiful,  when 
they  do  not  care  for  dead  bait.  Almost  any  trap 
will  hold  them  as  they  do  not  struggle  much,  and 


THE   LYNX.  169 

I  have  caught  a  number  of  them  with  the  No.  1 
trap,  but  because  of  their  large  feet,  I  would  ad- 
vise the  use  of  a  larger  trap.  The  Nos.  3  and  4 
traps  are  perhaps  the  best  sizes  to  use. 

There  are  various  methods  of  trapping  them 
but  the  most  common,  as  well  as  the  best  is  to 
set  the  trap  in  an  enclosure,  with  bait.  I  prefer 
to  make  the  enclosures  of  split  wood,  placing  the 
split  side  inward.  I  make  the  pen  about  three 
feet  in  height,  about  two  and  a  half  feet  long, 
wide  at  the  top  and  just  wide  enough  to  receive 
the  trap  at  the  bottom.  The  pen  should  be  well 
roofed  with  evergreen  boughs  to  protect  the  trap 
from  the  snow,  and  the  trap  should  be  just  inside 
of  the  entrance.  If  there  is  snow  on  the  ground, 
I  make  a  bed  of  green  boughs  for  the  trap  to  rest 
on.  It  is  not  necessary  to  cover  the  trap  but  I 
prefer  to  do  so.  The  bait  should  be  placed  on 
a  stick  in  the  back  of  the  pen. 

Babbit  and  partridge  is  the  best  bait,  but  it 
must  be  fresh,  as  the  lynx  does  not  care  for  stale 
food.  Some  scent  should  also  be  used  as  the 
lynx's  sense  of  smell  is  not  so  highly  developed 
as  that  of  some  other  animals.  Beaver  Castor 
is  perhaps  the  best,  but  fish  oil  is  much  used  by 
the  western  trappers.  Muskrat  musk  is  also 
good. 

The  trap  should  be  fastened  to  a  stout  clog. 
I  use  a  small  spruce  or  balsam  tree,  about  three 


170  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

inches  thick  at  the  butt  and  fasten  the  trap  by 
stapling  or  by  looping  the  chain  around  the  clog, 
leaving  some  snags  to  prevent  the  chain  from 
slipping  over  the  end. 

The  rabbits  are  a  great  nuisance,  they  being 
found  in  great  numbers  in  the  northern  swamps. 
The  scent  of  the  hands  left  there  while  setting 
the  trap,  also  the  fresh  cutting,  attracts  the  rab- 
bit into  the  pen  and  it  is  sometimes  difficult  to 
keep  the  trap  in  working  order  until  the  lynx 
journeys  by  that  way  again.  The  best  way  I 
have  found  to  keep  them  out  of  the  trap  is  by 
dropping  some  dead  brush  in  front  of  the  en- 
closure, as  the  rabbits  do  not  like  to  jump 
through  the  dead  brush. 

Squirrels  and  birds  are  also  troublesome, 
and  I  have  found  it  a  good  idea  to  place  the  bait 
well  up  under  the  roof  of  the  pen  so  as  to  be  out 
of  sight  of  these  creatures.  I  also  place  a  small 
springy  stick  under  the  pan  of  the  trap,  which 
will  sometimes  prevent  the  squirrels  and  birds 
from  springing  it.  I  sometimes  make  a  trap  pen 
by  standing  up  a  number  of  small  evergreen 
trees,  cutting  the  boughs  away  on  the  inside. 
This  is  a  very  good  method. 

When  lynx  do  not  take  bait  well,  some  trap- 
pers make  a  long  pen  or  passage,  open  at  both 
ends  and  high  enough  so  that  the  lynx  can  walk 
through  easily.  The  trap  is  set  inside  and  some 


THE   LYNX.  171 

beaver  castor  or  other  scent  is  placed  on  a  stick 
in  the  passage.  Others  put  scent  on  a  piece  of 
red  cloth  and  fix  it  in  a  pen  of  brush,  setting  the 
trap  in  the  entrance. 

As  the  lynx's  eye  is  more  keen  than  its  nose, 
I  have  found  it  a  good  plan  to  hang  a  rabbit  skin 
from  a  string  near  the  setting,  so  that  it  will 
swing  about  in  the  breeze.  This  will  attract  the 
animal  for  quite  a  distance,  and  is  a  good  method 
to  use  when  setting  traps  along  the  shore  of  a 
lake,  as  the  lynx  walks  the  ice  and  will  some- 
times pass  outside  of  scenting  distance  of  the 
trap. 

Lynx  are  easily  killed  by  a  blow  from  a  stick 
but  when  caught  in  small  traps  it  is  safer  to 
shoot  them,  using  a  small  caliber  pistol  or  rifle. 
Another  good  way  is  to  choke  them  by  tieing  a 
snare  to  the  end  of  a  ten  or  twelve  foot  pole. 
Slip  the  snare  over  the  animal's  head,  draw  it 
tight  and  hold  the  pole;  the  lynx  will  die  in  a 
very  short  time.  The  advantage  of  this  method 
is  in  the  fact  that  the  skin  is  kept  clean  and 
free  from  blood. 

The  track  of  the  lynx  resembles  that  of  the 
cat  but  is  much  larger.  A  large  specimen  will 
make  a  track  three  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter 
and  the  length  of  step  is  from  sixteen  to  eighteen 
inches. 


(172) 


CHAPTEK  XVII. 

THE  BAY  LYNX,,  OR  WILD  CAT. 

CHE  Bay  Lynx  replaces  the  Canada  Lynx 
throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  United 
States.     This  animal  is  known  to  the  -fur 
trade  as  the  wild  cat  and  is  also  known 
in  some  localities  as  the  Catamount  and  the  bob- 
cat. 

The  true  wild  cat  is  not  found  in  America, 
being  a  native  of  Europe  and  Northern  Asia,  and 
resembling  the  domestic  cat,  some\vhat,  in  ap- 
pearance. Such  cats  are  also  found  in  certain 
parts  of  the  United  States  but  they  are  only  the 
descendants  of  domestic  cats  which  have  strayed 
into  the  woods  and  become  wild,  and  are  not  the 
wild  cat  of  Europe. 

The  Bay  Lynx  is  found  throughout  the 
rough  timbered  portions  of  the  eastern,  north- 
ern and  western  States,  also  in  the  swamps  and 
cane  brakes  of  the  south.  The  International 
Boundary  is  about  the  northern  limit  of  its 
range.  They  are  quite  plentiful  in  parts  of  the 
south,  also  in  the  foothills  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains where  they  have  become  so  destructive  to 

173 


174  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

sheep  that  the  stockmen  pay  bounty  on  those 
that  are  killed. 

The  animal  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the 
Canada  Lynx,  but  resembles  that  animal  in  gen- 
eral appearance.  It  is  about  thirty  inches  in 
length,  with  a  tail  of  five  or  six  inches,  and 
weighs  from  eighteen  to  twenty-five  pounds,  in 
some  instances  exceeding  these  figures.  Its  color 
on  the  back  and  sides  is  of  a  pale  reddish  brown, 
overlaid  with  grayish,  the  latter  color  being  most 
prevalent  in  fall  and  winter.  The  throat  is  sur- 
rounded with  a  collar  of  long  hair.  The  under 
parts  are  light  colored  and  spotted  and  a  few 
dark  spots  are  also  found  on  the  sides.  The  tail ' 
is  tipped  with  black  and  has  half  rings  on  its 
upper  surface.  The  ears  are  also  tipped  with 
black  hairs,  but  this  tip  is  not  so  conspicuous 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Canadian  Lynx.  The  hair 
is  also  shorter  and  coarser,  and  the  feet  smaller 
and  less  heavily  furred. 

The  food  of  this  animal  consists  of  rabbits, 
partridges,  sage  hens,  and  any  other  small  an- 
imals and  birds  which  they  can  capture.  They 
are  fond  of  poultry  and  have  been  known  to  kill 
and  devour  the  raccoon.  As  before  mentioned, 
they  are  partial  to  mutton.  In  all  probability 
they  capture  large  numbers  of  mice,  moles, 
prairie  dogs,  etc. 

In  the  West,  as  in  parts  of  the  East  the 


THE   BAY   LYNX,  OR   WILD   CAT.  175 

wild  cat  dens  in  natural  holes  in  the  rocks.  In 
the  swamps  of  the  South  they  no  doubt,  nest  in 
hollow  trees. 

They  are,  as  a  rule,  shy  and  retiring  ani- 
mals, but  when  brought  to  bay  show  consider- 
able courage  and  fight  desperately.  The  fur  of 
the  Bay  Lynx  is  not  as  valuable  as  that  of  the 
northern  lynx.  It  becomes  prime  in  the  north 
about  the  first  of  November ;  in  the  south  three 
or  four  weeks  later. 

The  wild  cat  resembles  the  Canada  Lynx  so 
closely  in  habits,  etc.,  that  I  do  not  consider  it 
necessary  to  give  any  special  methods  for  cap- 
turing it.  The  bait  methods  recommended  for 
the  lynx  will  also  do  very  well  for  the  wild  cat, 
and  the  same  bait  may  be  used.  In  the  south  it 
would  probably  be  better  to  set  in  natural  en- 
closures whenever  possible.  In  the  foothills  of 
the  Rockies  the  Bay  Lynx  is  frequently  caught 
in  traps  set  for  coyotes,  although  they  may  be 
captured  as  easily  there  as  in  any  other  section, 
and  if  the  trapper  wishes,  he  can  set  his  traps 
in  hollows  in  the  rocks,  or  in  enclosures  of  brush, 
cactus,  etc. 

Some  trappers  prefer  to  hang  the  bait  above 
the  trap,  and  it  is  a  good  way,  but  I  think  that 
the  enclosure  is  more  certain. 

I  would  recommend  the  Nos.  2  and  3  traps 
for  thes£  animals.  Although  they  may  be  held 


176  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

at  times  in  smaller  traps,  any  trap  having  less 
strength  than  the  No.  2  should  not  be  depended 
on. 

The  track  of  the  wild  cat  resembles  that  of 
the  lynx,  but  is  much  smaller.  The  footprints 
will  seldom  measure  more  than  one  and  a  half 
inches  in  diameter,  and  the  step  is  a  trifle  shorter 
than  that  of  the  Canadian  Lynx. 


THE   COUGAR 


177 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   COUGAR. 

*^e  excePti°n  °f  the  Jaguar,  which 
will  average  a  trifle  larger,  the  cougar 
the  largest  representative  of  the 
cat  tribe  to  be  found  in  America. 

This  animal  is  known  locally  under  various 
names.  In  the  mountainous  districts  of  the  East- 
ern States,  where  they  wrere  once  found  in  fair 
numbers,  they  were  known  as  the  panther  or 
"painter"  from  a  fancied  resemblance  to  the  pan- 
ther of  tropical  Asia.  In  the  far  West  they  are 
most  commonly  known  as  the  mountain  lion,  and 
in  other  localities  as  the  cougar,  while  in  the 
Southwest  they  are  sometimes  called  the  Mexi- 
can lion.  Throughout  the  whole  of  South  Amer- 
ica they  are  known  as  the  puma. 

This  animal  has  probably  become  extinct  in 
the  Eastern  States,  but  they  are  still  found  in 
the  South,  from  Florida,  westward  throughout 
the  wild,  swampy  sections  of  the  Gulf  States, 
into  the  lowlands  of  Texas,  and  southward.  In 
the  West  they  are  found  in  all  of  the  mountain- 
ous portions  from  northern  British  Columbia 

i78 


THE   COUGAR  179 

southward,  and  in  South.  America  are  to  be 
found  as  far  south  as  southern  Patagonia.  They 
have  at  all  times  been  more  abundant  in  the 
West  than  in  the  East  and  are  still  plentiful  in 
portions  of  British  Columbia,  Idaho,  Wyoming, 
and  Colorado;  also  in  the  Pacific  Coast  States, 
especially  in  northern  California. 

In  size,  the  average,  full  grown  cougar  will 
perhaps  measure  seven  feet  in  length  from  the 
nose  to  the  tip  of  the  tail,  certainly  not  more, 
and  large  specimens  will  weigh  from  a  hundred 
and  fifty  to  a  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds. 
Occasionally  larger  specimens  are  found,  but 
th^y  are  exceptional.  The  tail  will  measure  from 
two  and  a  half  to  three  feet. 

The  color  of  the  cougar  is  usually  of  a  yel- 
lowish brown  on  the  sides,  a  trifle  darker  on  the 
back  and  white  on  the  throat  and  underparts. 
The  tip  of  the  tail  is  dark,  almost  black  in  some 
specimens.  This  is  the  prevailing  color  but  some 
will  have  a  grayish  cast.  While  there  is  very 
little  difference  in  the  specimens  from  the  vari- 
ous sections,  some  naturalists  claim  that  the 
cougar  of  Florida  and  other  parts  of  the  South 
is  a  distinct  variety. 

Cougars  prey  largely  on  deer,  also  in  some 

sections  on  the  wild  sheep  and  goats.    They  also 

.kill  small  animals,  and  when  pressed  by  hunger 

they  will  not  hestitate  to  attack  larger  animals 


180  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

than  the  deer;  even  the  moose  is  sometimes 
killed  by  the  cougar.  They  are  very  destructive 
to  stock  in  many  parts  of  the  West,  particularly 
to  horses,  and  many  of  the  Western  States,  as 
well  as  the  stockmen  pay  bounty  on  cougars.  In 
South  America  they  kill  large  numbers  of  wild 
cattle. 

Their  method  of  securing  game  is  by  creep- 
ing cautiously  to  within  springing  distance,  or 
by  watching  a  runway  from  the  branches  of  a 
tree,  or  a  ledge  of  rock  from  which  position  they 
spring  upon  the  unsuspecting  victim,  breaking 
its  neck  by  a  twist  of  the  head.  When  they  can 
get  plenty  of  food  they  only  suck  the  blood  of 
the  captured  animal,  and  do  not  return  to  the 
carcass,  When  food  is  scarce  they  make  a  meal 
of  the  flesh  and  cover  the  remains.  In  such  cases 
they  may  return  for  a  second  meal. 

It  was  only  after  the  panther  became  rare 
in  the  Eastern  States  that  the  fabulous  tales  of 
their  daring,  and  their  inclination  to  attack  hu- 
man beings,  originated,  and  such  stories  are 
never  credited  by  those  who  are  acquainted  with 
the  nature  and  habits  of  the  animal.  While  it 
would  be  an  easy  matter  for  the  cougar  to  kill 
an  unarmed  man,  they  are  by  nature,  timid  an- 
imals, and  not  to  be  feared  by  human  beings. 
While  individual  animals  may  attack  man  on 
rare  instances,  such  occurrences  are  very  rare, 


THE   COUGAit  181 

and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  nine-tenths  of  the  "pan- 
ther stories''  have  no  foundation  whatever.  The 
western  mountain  men  consider  them  very  cow- 
ardly animals. 

In  the  mountainous  districts  the  cougars 
live  in  natural  dens,  or  caves  in  the  rocks,  in 
places  that  are  almost  inaccessible  to  other  an- 
imals. In  the  swamps  of  the  South  they  make 
their  home  in  dense  and  almost  impenetrable 
thickets  and  canebrakes,  where  they  make  a  nest 
of  sticks,  grass,  moss  and  leaves. 

The  young  animals  are  born  in  early  spring, 
there  being  from  two  to  four  at  a  birth,  but  as  a 
rule,  only  two.  The  mother  animal  displays 
considerable  anxiety  for  the  safety  and  comfort 
of  her  kittens. 

There  is  no  method  known  by  which  the 
cougar  may  be  successfully  trapped.  Owing  to 
their  rambling  habits  one  never  knows  where  to 
place  a  trap  for  them,  and  as  they  prefer  to  kill 
their  own  game,  they  will  seldom  touch  bait.  As 
a  rule  they  do  not  return  to  the  carcass  of  their 
victim,  but  if  one  can  find  an  animal  freshly 
killed,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  set  a  trap  by  the  side 
of  the  remains,  and  in  case  the  animal  should 
return  for  a  second  meal,  its  capture  is  likely. 
Practically  all  of  those  which  are  trapped  are 
taken  in  this  way.  The  No.  4  Newhouse  trap  is 
used  but  the  No.  4^  is  better,  for  being  a  larger 


182  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

and  stronger  trap  it  is  more  certain  to  hold  the 
animal.  The  trap  should  be  fastened  to  a  heavy 
clog,  and  the  trap  and  clog  carefully  concealed, 
for  the  cougar  is  wary  and  suspicious. 

On  rare  instances  when  the  trapper  has  been 
certain  that  there  were  cougars  in  the  near  vi- 
cinity, they  have  been  captured  by  setting  a  trap 
in  a  natural  enclosure,  placing  a  fresh,  bloody 
bait  behind  the  trap,  also  by  hanging  the  bait 
about  five  feet  above  a  carefully  concealed  trap. 

They  are  most  commonly  hunted  by-  the  aid 
of  dogs,  and  in  this  way  the  capture  is  a  com- 
paratively easy  matter.  When  pursued  they 
usually  take  to  a  tree  and  remain  there  until 
the  arrival  of  the  hunter  when  a  rifle  bullet  ends 
the  game.  The  animal  will  take  to  a  tree  readily 
for  any  dog  which  has  the  courage  to  follow  it. 

The  skin  of  the  mountain  lion  is  not  valu- 
able as  a  fur,  and  is  used  principally  for  rugs, 
but  as  before  mentioned  many  of  the  states  pay 
bounties  on  the  animals,  so  that  hunting  them 
may  be  made  a  profitable  business  in  certain  lo- 
calities. 

The  tracks  of  this  animal  resemble  those  of 
the  wild  cat  but  are  much  larger.  The  footprints 
will  measure  about  four  inches  in  diameter. 


THE   WOLVERINE. 


183 


CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  WOLVERINE. 

PERHAPS  the  most  rare  of  all  fur  bearing 
animals,  as  well  as  the  least  known,  is 
the  wolverine.     This  animal  belongs  to 
the  marten   family   and   is   the   largest, 
strongest  and  most  cunning  of  the  genus;  in 
fact,  is  claimed  to  be  the  most  cunning  and  wary 
of  all  the  furbearing  animals,  and  among  the 
trappers  has  an  unenviable  reputation. 

It  is  strictly  a  northern  animal  and  is 
found  scattered  over  the  greater  portion  of  Can- 
ada and  Alaska,  ranging  southward  into  the 
most  northern  portion  of  the  United  States.  In 
the  Rocky  mountain  region  it  is  found  as  far 
south  as  Wyoming.  They  are  not  plentiful  any- 
where and  are  probably  found  in  the  greatest 
numbers  in  the  Alaskan  interior,  Yukon,  Mac- 
kenzie and  northern  British  Columbia. 

While  the  wolverine  is  classed  among  the 
martens  it  appears  to  be  the  connecting  link  be- 
tween the  martens  and  the  bears  for  it  is  stoutly 
built  and  very  bear-like  in  general  appearance, 
also  is  a  plantigrade  animal,  walking  on  the  en- 

184 


THE   WOLVERINE.  185 

tire  sole  of  the  foot.  An  average  specimen  will 
measure  about  thirty  inches  from  the  end  of  the 
nose  to  the  base  of  the  tail.  The  tail  is  about 
ten  inches  in  length,  exclusive  of  the  long  hair 
and  is  very  stumpy  and  bushy.  The  fur  is  long 
and  flowing  and  is  fairly  fine.  The  general  color 
is  a  dull  brown  with  black  legs  and  feet  and  a 
black  patch  about  the  eyes.  A  spot  or  stripe  of 
lighter  color  sweeps  along  the  sides.  The  teeth 
are  large  and  strong  and  the  curved  claws  are 
white,  contrasting  sharply  with  the  black  fur 
of  the  feet  and  legs. 

The  wolverine  makes  its  home  in  a  burrow. 
As  to  the  breeding  habits  of  the  animal,  my  ob- 
servations have  been  limited  and  I  can  give  no 
authentic  information.  Naturalists  disagree  as 
to  the  number  of  young  and  the  time  of  birth. 
Some  claim  that  the  young  animals  are  born  in 
May,  others  put  the  time  as  late  as  December. 
As  the  other  members  of  the  marten  family  give 
birth  to  their  young  in  April  and  May,  I  think  it 
safe  to  assume  that  the  young  of  the  wolverine 
are  born  about  the  same  time,  and  that  the  num- 
ber would  be  from  three  to  five  in  a  litter. 

The  animal  is  a  great  traveler,  straying 
sometimes  thirty  miles  in  each  direction  from  its 
home.  It  is  not  a  rapid  traveler,  however,  and 
it  is  claimed  that  a  man  can  easily  outrun  it. 

The  wolverine  is  also  known  under  other 


186  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

fancy  names,  the  most  common  of  which  is  "car- 
cajou". In  Europe  it  is  called  the  "glutton" 
from  its  supposed  gluttonous  appetite.  Among 
the  Indians  of  the  northwest  it  is  known  as  the 
"mountain  devil"  and  in  British  Columbia  is 
sometimes  called  the  "skunk  bear." 

The  animal  really  does  bear  some  resem- 
blance to  the  skunk  in  its  appearance  and  ac- 
tions, the  most  noticeable  of  which  is  its  habits 
of  raising  its  tail  when  disturbed  or  when  it 
stops  to  listen  to  some  noise.  Sometimes  it  will 
stand  on  its  hind  legs  in  order  to  get  a  better 
view  of  some  object  which  has  aroused  its  in- 
terest. 

The  wolverine  is  not  as  active  as  the  other 
members  of  the  genus,  but  its  strength  and  cun- 
ning fully  compensate  for  all  that  it  lacks  in  ac- 
tivity. It  can  seldom  capture  enough  of  game  to 
satisfy  its  hunger,  therefore  it  seeks  out  and 
robs  the  caches  of  other  animals,  also  robs  the 
traps  of  their  bait  and  the  captured  animals. 
For  this  reason  the  animal  is  despised  and 
dreaded  by  the  trapper.  Once  one  has  found  the 
trap  line  it  will  follow  the  trail  to  the  end,  de- 
stroying the  sets  and  eating  the  baits  and  catch. 
What  it  cannot  eat,  it  will  carry  away  and  con- 
ceal presumably  for  future  use.  It  will  also 
sometimes  enter  the  trapper's  cabin  and  destroy 
or  defile  all  that  it  cannot  eat, 


THE   WOLVERIKE.  187 

Many  strange  stories  are  told  of  the  an- 
imaPs  cunning  and  of  its  evil  ways.  While  some 
of  these  tales  are  no  doubt  true,  I  feel  safe  in 
saying  that  the  majority  have  no  foundation 
whatever.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  wolverine 
is  exceedingly  wary  and  that  it  is  a  great  mis- 
chief maker,  but  the  fact  that  the  animal  is  not 
well  known,  has  led  the  nature  writers  to  draw 
on  their  imaginations  and  these  wonderful 
stories  are  the  result.  We  hear  of  the  animal 
decoying  deer  to  its  hiding  place  by  dropping  a 
bunch  of  moss  for  them  to  feed  on,  and  then 
springing  upon  the  unsuspecting  animal  from  a 
nearby  limb.  We  also  read  of  the  wolverine 
biting  off  the  string  of  a  set  gun  without  dis- 
charging the  arm,  so  that  it  could  eat  the  bait 
without  danger.  That  such  stories  are  false  goes 
without  saying. 

Not  being  plentiful  in  any  one  locality  the 
animals  are  seldom  trapped  and  what  few  are 
caught  are  taken  when  they  are  visiting  camps 
or  while  robbing  the  traps  of  the  bait  and  catch 
Trapping  them  at  all  times  is  difficult  work,  ow- 
ing to  the  natural  wariness  of  the  animal.  Th^t 
the  trap  must  be  well  concealed  and  that  the 
animal  must  be  taken  when  off  its  guard  will  be 
evident  to  all.  The  No.  4  trap  should  be  used 
and  only  those  which  have  strong  springs,  as  the 
wolverine  possesses  great  strength. 


188  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

The  animals  are  not  sought  by  the  trapper 
and  he  may  consider  himself  lucky  if  there  are 
none  of  them  on  his  trapping  ground.  When 
they  are  found,  the  trapper's  aim  is  to  get  rid 
of  them  and  the  most  certain  way  appears  to  be 
by  means  of  poison.  When  they  visit  the  traps  a 
fair  portion  of  strychnine  placed  in  the  bait  will 
usually  bring  the  desired  result. 


THE   POCKET-GOPHER. 


189 


H 


TJ 
o 


O 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  POCKET-GOPHER. 

CHE  pocket-gopher  is  found  throughout  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  ranging  westward  in- 
to Colorado  and  Wyoming,  southward  in- 
to Mexico,  and  northward  into  the  prairie 
region  of  Canada.    They  are  also  found  in  Ala- 
bama, Georgia  and  Florida.    They  appear  to  be 
most  abundant  in  those  states  bordering  on  the 
Mississippi  Kiver.     There  are  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent varieties,  but  as  their  habits  are  the  same, 
a  description  of  the  Prairie  pocket-gopher,  will 
be  sufficient. 

This  animal  measures,  when  full  grown, 
about  eight  inches  from  the  end  of  the  nose  to 
the  base  of  the  tail.  The  tail  is  about  two  and 
a  half  inches  long,  and  thinly  covered  with  hair. 
The  color  is  a  liver  brown,  somewhat  lighter  on 
the  under  parts;  the  feet  white.  The  legs  are 
very  short;  the  feet  armed  with  large  claws, 
adapted  to  digging.  The  head  is  large,  no  neck 
being  visible.  The  eyes  and  ears  are  very  small. 
The  incisors  are  large  and  chisel  shaped,  for  cut- 
ting roots.  On  each  side  of  the  face  and  neck 

190 


THE   POCKET-GOPHER.  191 

are  large  pouches,  having  no  opening  into  the 
mouth.  These  pouches  are  not  used  for  carry- 
ing dirt,  as  is  commonly  supposed,  but  are  only 
used  for  carrying  food.  The  animals  known  as 
the  "grey-gopher"  and  the  "striped-gopher"  are 
no  gophers  at  all,  but  species  of  ground  squirrels. 


Burrow  of   Pocket  Gopher. 

The  gopher  is  a  burrowing  animal  and  is 
seldom  seen  above  ground.  They  are  working 
almost  all  of  the  time,  during  the  spring,  sum- 
mer and  fall,  extending  the  burrows  in  search 
of  food.  They  also  work  in  winter,  when  the 
ground  is  not  frozen,  and  it  is  supposed  that  they 


292  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

also  work  under  the  frozen  ground,  when  it  is 
not  frozen  too  deep.  They  are  most  active  in  the 
fall  when  they  are  storing  up  food  for  winter. 

The  burrows  will  be  found  from  six  to 
twelve  inches  beneath  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
the  usual  depth  being  about  eight  inches.  At 
irregular  distances  along  the  burrow,  the  animal 
makes  a  short  branch  passage  leading  up  to  the 
surface,  where  it  deposits  the  dirt  dug  from  the 
main  passage,  in  the  form  of  a  mound.  After 
the  dirt  is  all  thrown  out,  it  closes  the  branch 
passage,  packing  the  ground  in  solidly,  so  that 
the  only  visible  signs  of  the  burrow  are  the 
mounds  of  ground.  There  is  a  good  reason  why 
the  animal  should  be  so  careful  to  keep  the  pas- 
sage closed,  for  they  have  a  number  of  enemies 
besides  man.  Its  most  dangerous  enemies  are, 
perhaps,  the  little  spotted  skunk  or  civet  cat  and 
the  bull  snake,  as  both  of  these  creatures,  once 
they  get  inside  of  the  burrow,  follow  its  course 
until  they  find  their  victim. 

The  food  of  the  gopher  consists  mostly  of 
roots  of  plants  but  they  often  cut  the  roots  of 
fruit  trees.  They  are  particularly  destructive  to 
alfalfa,  and  the  loss  to  farmers,  caused  by  these 
animals,  is  considerable,  not  only  from  the 
plants  destroyed  by  having  the  roots  cut,  but 
also  from  the  plants  buried  under  the  mounds, 
and  from  the  fact  that  the  mounds  interfere  with 


THE   POCKET-GOPHER.  193 

the  cutting  of  the  crop.  The  fur  is  of  no  value, 
but  owing  to  the  destructiveness  of  the  animals, 
land  owners  are  very  anxious  to  be  rid  of  them. 
In  many  places  a  bounty  is  paid  on  the  gopher, 
so  that  they  may  be  profitably  trapped  when  fur- 
bearing  animals  are  of  no  value. 

The  traps  recommended  for  the  gopher  are 
the  No.  0  steel  trap  and  some  of  the  various 
choker  traps  made  especially  for  this  use.  In 
setting  steel  traps,  select  the  freshest  mound, 
and  by  examining  closely,  one  can  usually  tell 
which  way  the  dirt  was  thrown  out,  and  will 
know  on  which  side  to  look  for  the  burrow.  A 
handy  tool  is  a  slender,  pointed  iron  rod,  to  use 
as  a  probe  in  searching  for  the  burrow.  Having 
located  the  passage,  open  it  up  and  set  the  trap 
on  the  bottom,  sinking  it  down  until  level.  Cover 
it  lightly  with  dirt,  and  close  the  hole  by  laying 
a  small  piece  of  board,  or  a  shingle  over  the 
opening,  covering  with  ground. 

The  trap  should  be  fastened  with  a  stick, 
and  the  same  stick  will  serve  as  a  marker,  so 
that  one  can  easily  find  the  trap.  A  small  spade 
or  a  heavy  garden  trowel  will  be  needed  for  dig- 
ging and  for  convenience,  the  traps,  stakes,  etc., 
may  be  carried  in  a  large  basket.  The  regular 
gopher  traps,  mentioned  above,  are  more  easily 
set  than  steel  traps  and  printed  directions  for 

13 


194  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

setting  usually  accompany  the  traps.  They 
should  be  set  at  one  side  of  the  burrow,  on  a 
level  with  the  bottom  and  with  the  mouth  of 
the  trap  just  even  with  the  side  of  the  passage. 
Just  a  little  light  should  be  allowed  to  penetrate 
from  behind,  and  all  other  parts  should  be  closed, 
so  as  to  exclude  light. 

The  gopher,  in  coming  along  the  passage, 
sees  the  light  and  goes  to  investigate,  when  it 
will  be  caught  in  the  trap.  If  too  much  light 
shows  up,  he  does  not  go  close  to  look  at  it,  but 
immediately  brings  a  load  of  dirt  and  proceeds 
to  close  the  hole,  thus  burying  the  trap.  All 
loose  dirt  should  be  removed  from  the  burrow 
before  setting  the  trap,  as  otherwise  the  gopher 
will  gather  up  the  dirt  as  it  approaches  the  light, 
and  shove  it  into  the  trap. 


THE   RABBIT 


195 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  RABBIT 

HILE  the  rabbit  is  classed  among  the 
fur-bearing  animals,  the  skin  having 
a  slight  market  value,  very  few  of  the 
trappers  ever  market  the  skins  as  the 
price  is  so  little  that  trapping  the  animals  for 
their  fur  would  not  be  a  lucrative  business. 

The  flesh  is  much  used  as  food  by  the  north- 
ern hunters  and  trappers,  and  also  as  bait  for 
traps,  and  it  is  well  for  the  trapper  to  kno\v 
something  about  the  animal  and  how  to  capture 
it. 

Properly  speaking  there  are  no  rabbits  in 
North  America,  the  animals  known  by  that  name 
being  classed  by  naturalists  as  hares,  but  the 
name  is  so  universally  used  that  it  would  be  use- 
less now  to  try  to  bring  the  true  name  into  gen- 
eral use. 

There  are  many  species,  one  or  more  of 
which  will  be  found  in  almost  every  locality  of 
North  America,  but  the  most  important  species 
are  the  common  cottontail,  the  jack  rabbit  and 
the  snowshoe  rabbit,  or  varying  har§.  Of  these 

196 


THE  RABBIT  197 

there  are  many  varieties,  but  they  are  so  similar 
in  appearance  and  habits  that  I  do  not  consider 
it  necessary  or  advisable  to  go  into  detail  in  de- 
scribing them  in  a  work  of  this  kind. 

Babbits  belong  to  the  class  known  as  ro- 
dents or  gnawing  animals,  and  are  distinctly  dif- 
ferent in  structure  from  all  other  animals  of 
the  class.  The  long  hind  legs,  long  ears,  small 
tail  and  soft  fur  is  characteristic  of  the  genus. 

The  common  cottontail  is  found  in  almost 
all  parts  of  the  United  States,  in  certain  parts 
of  the  north  only,  being  replaced  by  the  snow- 
shoe  rabbit.  They  are  smaller  than  the  snow- 
shoe  and  jack  rabbits  and  are  of  a  grayish  brown 
on  the  back  and  sides  shading  to  white  on  the 
under  parts.  The  fur  is  a  reddish  brown  in  sum- 
mer, yd 

Their  food  consists  of  grasses,  fruits  and 
vegetables,  bark,  and  the  leaves  of  evergreen 
shrubs  such  as  the  laurel.  They  are  especially 
fond  of  fruits,  sweet  apples  being  a  favorite 
food,  and  are  also  partial  to  cabbage. 

Their  favorite  haunts  are  the  brushy,  wood- 
ed bottom  lands  but  they  are  also  found  on  the 
hills  and  mountains ;  in  fact,  in  almost  any  place 
where  they  can  find  food  and  shelter. 

The  snowshoe  rabbit  replaces  the  cottontail 
in  Canada  and  the  most  northern  portions  of 
the  United  States.  As  before  mentioned  they 


198  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING, 

are  larger  than  the  common  rabbits  and  like  the 
northern  weasel  the  color  of  their  fur  varies  with 
the  seasons.  The  summer  coat  is  a  reddish 
brown,  but  when  the  cold  weather  comes  on  in 
the  fall  they  commence  to  take  on  a  white  color, . 
the  fur  of  the  ears  and  legs  being  the  first  to 
change  and  in  a  few  weeks  the  animal  will  be 
perfectly  white.  This  is  nature's  provision  for 
the  animal's  protection,  and  their  color  in  win- 
ter is  so  nearly  like  that  of  the  snow  that  when 
sitting  under  some  log  or  clump  of  brush  they 
are  almost  invisible.  They  have  many  enemies, 
being  preyed  upon  by  all  the  carnivorous  ani- 
mals, also  by  such  birds  as  the  hawk  and  owl, 
but  as  they  are  exceedingly  prolific  their  num^ 
bers  increase  rapidly. 

Every  few  years,  perhaps  at  regular  inter- 
vals, but  of  that  I  am  not  certain,  some  disease 
makes  its  appearance  among  them  and  they  die 
off  rapidly.  Some  naturalists  believe  that  this 
is  caused  by  inbreeding  as  the  rabbit's  circle  of 
acquaintance  is  comparatively  small,  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  country  and  the  ground  cov- 
ered by  his  wanderings  is  limited  to  a  very  small 
area. 

The  food  of  the  snowshoe  rabbit  consists 
mainly  of  grasses  in  summer  and  the  bark  of 
certain  young  growths  in  winter.  They  are  very 
fond  of  salt  and  wherever  there  is  a  trace  of  it  to 


THE   RABBIT  199 

be  found,  they  will  come  nightly  and  dig  up  the 
soil  in  order  to  procure  it.  The  northern  settlers 
who  use  large  numbers  of  these  animals  for  food 
sometimes  make  a  salt  lick  for  the  rabbits  and 
watch  for  the  animals  in  the  early  evening. 

The  feet  of  the  snowshoe  rabbit  are  very 
large  and  are  heavily  furred,  forming  a  sort  of 
snowshoe  which  accounts  for  its  common  name. 
They  are  very  methodical,  running  the  same 
route  so  often  as  to  form  a  well  defined  trail, 
quite  common  in  the  northern  swamps  and  hazel 
thickets.  These  trails  are  followed  after  the 
snow  falls  and  become  beaten  several  inches  in 
depth. 

It  is  from  the  skins  of  the  snowshoe  rabbit 
that  the  northern  Indians  make  the  wonderful 
rabbit  skin  blankets.  The  skin  is  ripped  down 
the  back  of  the  hind  legs  and  is  drawn  off  whole 
and  while  still  fresh  is  cut  into  one  long  strip 
averaging  an  inch  in  width.  Immediately  after 
cutting,  the  strip  rolls  up  leaving  the  outside 
covered  with  fur  and  resembling  a  fur  rope. 
These  skins  are  wound  into  a  ball  and  kept  froz- 
en until  the  desired  number  has  been  secured 
when  they  are  woven  into  a  frame,  the  ends  be- 
ing sewed  together.  It  makes  the  warmest  bed 
covering  known,  and  is  used  universally  by  the 
northern  trappers.  It  also  was  a  great  comfort 


200 


SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 


to  those  who  went  into  Alaska  and  Yukon  in 
search  of  gold. 

The  jack  rabbit  is  found  mostly  on  the  west- 


Snare  for  snowshoe  rabbit 


Snare  /<?/•  cottontail 


Rabbit  Snares. 


ern  plains  and  is  the  largest  of  the  American 
hares.  They  resemble  the  ordinary  rabbit  in 
structure,  but  the  ears  are  very  long  and  the 
tail  is  more  like  that  of  the  deer.  In  running 


THE   RABBIT  201 

they  make  long  leaps,  all  four  feet  hanging 
straight  down,  presenting  a  singular  appearance. 

Eabbits  are  seldom  trapped  with  steel  traps, 
but  almost  every  country  boy  knows  how  to  take 
them  in  box  traps  baited  with  sweet  apples.  The 
cottontail  may  also  be  taken  in  a  spring  pole 
snare,  such  as  shown  in  the  cut.  The  noose  is 
made  of  twine  and  is  about  ten  inches  in  di- 
ameter. When  carefully  made  they  are  almost 
certain  in  action.  They  should  be  baited  with 
sweet  apple  or  cabbage. 

The  snare  used  for  the  snowshoe  rabbit  is  a 
very  simple  contrivance.  The  white  trappers  use 
No.  20  brass  wire,  doubled  and  twisted  with  a 
small  loop  on  one  end,  and  made  into  the  form 
of  a  slip  noose. 

The  snares  are  set  on  the  trails,  the  bottom 
of  the  noose  being  about  four  inches  above  the 
trail  and  the  loop,  about  four  inches  in  diameter, 
is  attached  firmly  to  a  brush  placed  horizontally 
over  the  path.  A  short  stick  is  set  upright  under 
the  noose  and  others  are  placed  on  either  side  of 
the  snare.  When  properly  arranged  the  noose 
will  take  the  animal  by  the  neck  when  it  at- 
tempts to  leap  through,  and  it  will  be  choked  by 
its  struggles. 

The  Indians  make  the  snares  of  light  linen 
cord  but  with  the  white  man  this  method  is  a 
failure  as  the  rabbit  will  invariably  stop  and  bite 


202  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

the  cord.  I  do  not  understand  why  they  do  not 
bite  the  snares  set  by  the  Indians. 

Where  tracks  are  plentiful  and  good  trails 
cannot  be  found  I  have  caught  them  by  placing 
a  few  fresh  twigs  of  birch  or  tamarack  on  each 
side  of  the  snare.  The  rabbit  is  certain  to  find 
them  and  after  eating  those  placed  on  one  side 
it  will  attempt  to  leap  through  the  noose  to  reach 
the  others,  which,  of  course,  is  the  end  of  poor 
"bunny".  The  smallest  and  tenderest  shoots 
should  be  selected  for  bait  and  only  two  or  three 
should  be  placed  at  a  snare. 

At  other  times  I  have  made  a  fence  of  small 
evergreen  trees  where  signs  of  the  animals  were 
numerous,  and  have  fixed  snares  in  the  openings 
along  the  obstruction.  This  is  also  a  successful 
method. 

I  have  never  learned  of  any  method  of  trap- 
ping or  snaring  the  jack  rabbit,  but  believe  they 
could  be  trapped  successfully  where  they  visit 
the  farms  and  gnaw  the  bark  from  fruit  trees  as 
they  do  in  some  parts  of  the  west. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

TRACKS  AND  SIGNS. 

OLD  and  experienced  trappers  can  read  the 
signs  of  the  forest  and  stream  with  a 
degree  of  accuracy  that  to  the  amateur 
is  surprising.  In  this  way  he  can  make  a 
fair  estimate  of  the  number  and  kinds  of  fur- 
bearing  animals  found  in  a  locality,  while  the 
novice  would  see  nothing,  or  if  he  did  see  the 
tracks  and  signs  he  would  not  be  able  to  distin- 
guish them,  one  from  another. 

To  be  able  to  read  the  signs  accurately  is 
essential  for  successful  hunting  and  trapping. 
The  expert  trapper  will  know  instantly,  on  see- 
ing a  track,  just  what  animal  it  was  that  passed 
that  way,  and  by  knowing  its  habits  will  know 
about  when  it  is  likely  to  return,  and  how  to 
place  a  trap  for  its  capture.  He  can  also  tell 
with  fair  accuracy  at  what  time  the  animal 
passed  that  way,  and  frequently,  will  know 
whether  it  was  a  male  or  female ;  whether  it  was 
looking  for  food  or  a  place  of  rest,  whether  it 
was  on  its  regular  route  of  travel  and  where  it 

203 


204  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

was  going.     To  the  novice  all  of  these  signs  are 
unintelligible. 

The  art  of  sign  reading  can  be  learned  only 
from  experience.  While  the  writer  can  distin- 
guish the  signs  and  tracks  of  the  fur-bearing 
animals,  to  put  this  knowledge  in  print  is  exceed- 
ingly difficult.  However,  I  will  endeavor  here, 
to  describe  the  tracks  of  the  fur-bearing  and 
game  animals,  and  believe  that  the  description 
will  be  of  value  to  the  amateur. 

Before  the  coming  of  the  tell-tale  snow,  and 
the  myriads  of  tracks  which  then  appear,  the 
stream  with  its  muddy  or  sandy  shores  is  per 
haps  the  most  promising  place  in  which  to  look 
for  signs.  In  the  mud  alongside  of  a  pool  of 
water,  the  tracks  of  that  busy  little  animal  the 
muskrat,  can  be  seen. 

The  trail  of  this  animal  is  accurately  shown 
in  the  drawing.  When  seen  at  the  water's  edge, 
and  only  a  few  tracks  are  visible,  the  trail  ap- 
pears irregular,  but  if  one  can  see  where  it  has 
walked  for  some  distance,  it  will  be  noted  that 
the  animal  has  a  regular  step,  some  five  or  six 
inches  in  length,  and  there  is  also  the  trail  of  the 
dragging  tail,  most  plainly  seen  in  the  soft 
muddy  bottom  of  the  still,  shallow  water.  In  the 
snow  the  track  will  appear  the  same.  Only  the 
prints  of  the  hind  feet  are  visible,  the  front  feet 
being  very  much  smaller,  and  the  print  being 


FRONT  FOOT 


^jjj:  '• 


OPOSSUM 


MIND  foor 


SKUNK 


•*  **•**.*  r-* 


MUSK RAT 


RACCOON 


ALL   LAKCf    TRACKS  ON   THiS  PLATf 
ARC.     CH£-rouRTH   HATURAL   SIZC 


Tracks  of  Furbeanng  Animals. 
(205^ 


206  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

obliterated  by  those  of  the  hind  feet.  When  the 
animal  is  running  the  prints  of  all  four  feet  are 
readily  discernible.  The  print  of  the  hind  foot 
will  measure  about  two  and  a  fourth  inches  in 
length  if  the  full  impression  of  the  foot  is  to  be 
seen. 

In  addition  to  the  tracks  other  signs  may  be 
seen.  Where  the  animals  are  found  in  fair 
numbers  they  will  have  well  defined  trails  lead- 
ing from  the  water.  Where  the  bank  is  steep 
the  trails  are  sometimes  worn  an  inch  or  more 
in  depth,  owing  to  the  muskrat's  habit  of  sliding 
down  the  bank,  which  habit  is  not  practiced  in 
play,  but  for  convenience.  Other  signs  are  the 
droppings  on  the  logs  which  extend  into  the 
water;  the  dens  with  an  accumulation  of  grass 
at  the  entrance;  also  the  scratch  signs  on  the 
bank,  the  feed  beds,  houses,  etc. 

All  signs  are  plentiful  in  early  fall,  and  at 
such  times  the  novice  is  likely  to  overestimate 
the  number  of  animals,  as  the  muskrat  is  very 
active  at  that  season. 

The  signs  of  the  beaver  are  very  similar  to 
those  of  the  muskrat,  but  the  tracks  are  much 
larger,  and  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  level  of 
the  water  in  the  vicinity  of  a  beaver  lodge,  is 
raised  far  above  the  muddy  shores,  by  the  dam 
the  tracks  are  seldom  seen.  However,  the  house 
and  dam  with  the  fresh  cut  wood,  and  well  used 
trails  are  all  of  the  signs  that  are  needed.  Old 


TRACKS  AND   SIGNS.  207 

houses  and  dams  are  found  frequently,  but  if 
there  is  no  fresh  cutting  about,  one  may  be  cer- 
tain that  the  house  is  uninhabited. 

One  of  the  most  puzzling  things  to  the 
novice  is  to  know  the  number  of  inmates,  that 
is,  whether  or  not  it  is  a  full  family,  but  methods 
of  determining  this  are  given  in  the  chapter 
dealing  with  this  animal.  In  the  North  the 
beavers  are  ice  bound  during  the  winter  months, 
but  occasionally  one  may  find  them  emerging 
from  the  water  at  some  springhole  near  the 
lodge  or  dam,  and  at  such  times  the  tracks  may 
be  seen  in  the  snow. 

The  trail  of  the  otter  is  unmistakable,  ow- 
ing to  its  peculiar,  floundering,  sliding  mode  of 
travel.  It  is  seldom  seen  except  in  the  near 
vicinity  of  the  water.  In  the  snow,  the  track  is 
well  defined  and  resembles  the  trail  made  by 
dragging  a  small  log,  the  footprints  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  trail  being  very  distinct.  The  length 
of  jump  is  from  four  to  3ight  feet,  depending  on 
the  condition  of  the  snow,  and  the  footprints  will 
measure  about  two  inches  in  diameter. 

They  travel  under  the  ice  whenever  possible 
and  one  may  see  frequently  where  the  otter  has 
bored  into  a  snow  bank  at  the  water's  edge,  try- 
ing to  locate  a  weak  spot  in  the  ice.  When  they 
have  been  working  under  the  ice  for  some  time 
one  may  find  where  they  have  been  entering  at, 


208  SCIENCE   OP   TRAPPING. 

and  emerging  from  the  spring  holes  near  the 
shore.  At  such  places  the  snow  will  be  packed 
down  solidly  and  remains  of  fish  may  be  found. 

When  there  is  no  snow,  one  may  learn  of  the 
most  frequented  localities  by  the  number  of 
slides  and  landing  places.  At  the  landing  places 
the  droppings  will  be  found,  and  they  may  be 
distinguished  from  those  of  other  animals  from 
the  large  proportions  of  fish  bones  and  scales. 

Another  animal  which  will  be  found  fre- 
quenting the  waterways  is  the  mink.  The  track 
af  this  little  animal  may  be  found  along  the 
muddy  shore,  where  the  steep  bank  crowds  it 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  At  other  times  it  will 
travel  several  rods  from  the  water,  and  after 
£he  ice  forms,  will  run  on  the  ice,  seldom  going 
far  from  the  shore.  Its  method  of  travel  is  an 
easy  lope,  and  the  footprints  are  nearly  always 
in  pairs  about  three  inches  apart  one  somewhat 
in  advance  of  the  other,  and  separated  by  a  dis- 
tance of  from  one  to  two  feet.  The  footprints 
measure  from  one  to  one  and  three-fourths  inches 
in  length.  They  are  sometimes  found  entering 
the  water  at  spring  holes  in  the  ice,  and  at  open 
places  in  the  rapids. 

About  the  outlets  or  inlets  of  lakes  and 
ponds,  and  at  the  log-jams  or  drifts  on  the 
stream  one  may  sometimes  find  small,  slender 
pointed  droppings  on  the  stones  or  logs.  These 


TRACKS  AND  SIGNS.  209 

sign  will  show  unmistakably  that  the  route  is 
regularly  used  by  at  least  one  mink. 

The  track  of  the  weasel  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  mink,  but  is  smaller,  but  as  the  weasel  is 
not  a  water  animal,  its  tracks  are  more  likely  to 
be  seen  along  the  fences  and  where  logs  and 
rocks  are  plentiful.  Here  the  trail  will  be  found 
leading  here  and  there  in  an  aimless  sort  of  way, 
and  entering  every  nook  and  corner,  where  the 
persistent  little  hunter  thinks  it  may  find  a 
sleepy  "bunny"  or  some  other  animal  or  bird. 
The  length  of  jump  is  from  sixteen  to  twenty 
inches  and  the  footprints  measure  about  one  or 
one  and  a  fourth  inches  in  length. 

The  marten  has  a  similar  method  of  travel 
and  makes  a  track  like  those  of  the  mink  and 
weasel,  being  a  little  larger  than  the  track  of 
the  mink  and  the  footprint  is  broader  and  more 
rounded;  the  foot  being  heavily  furred  the  toes 
do  not  show  so  distinctly.  The  trail  will  be 
found  leading  through  the  gullies  and  depres- 
sions of  the  heavily  timbered  places,  and  occa- 
sionally they  also  travel  on  the  ridges. 

Few  signs  are  seen  when  the  ground  is  bare 
but  in  the  dark,  sheltered  ravines,  the  droppings 
may  sometimes  be  seen  on  the  logs,  resembling 
those  of  the  mink,  but  somewhat  larger.  Some- 
times one  may  also  find  where  they  have  killed 
a  bird  or  rabbit. 

14 


front  foot  Hind  foot 

(One  -  thfrd  natural  s 


Running  (regular  J)  Alt) 

'  *  4* 

Ir/ny  (rarej 


Marten 


Regular 


Fisher 


Front  foot  Hind  foot 

(One -third  nktut;*/ size) 


(One -third  natural  size) 
Otter  running 


Otter 


Oeteri-  Jumping 


Fox  walking 


***« 


Fox  running 


Fron  t  foot  Hind  'foot 

(One-third  naeur*Js/ze} 


Red  Fox 


Tracks  bt  Furbearing  Animals. 
(210) 


TRACKS   AND   SIGNS.  211 

There  is  practically  no  difference  between 
the  track  of  the  fisher  and  that  of  the  marten 
except  in  size.  The  footprints  of  the  fisher  are 
perhaps  a  trifle  more  distinct,  and  will  measure 
from  two  to  two  and  a  half  inches  in  length,  the 
distance  between  each  set  of  tracks  being  from 
two  and  a  half  to  four  feet.  The  tracks  of  both 
the  marten  and  the  fisher  are  found  in  the  same 
kind  of  places,  but  the  fisher  is  more  of  a  rambler 
and  more  given  to  rambling  in  the  open  country. 
When  the  ground  is  bare  one  may  see  occasion- 
ally where  they  have  killed  and  eaten  rabbits, 
in  which  case  very  little  will  remain  except  the 
fur  and  toes  of  the  victim. 

Although  the  skunk  is  a  member  of  the  great 
weasel  family,  its  method  of  travel  is  decidedly 
different  from  that  of  the  weasel,  for  it  seldom 
lopes,  but  has  a  slow,  measured  walk.  The 
length  of  step  is  about  five  or  six  inches,  and 
the  footprints  are  from  one  to  one  and  three- 
fourths  inches  in  length.  The  trail  is  rather 
broad,  and  if  the  snow  is  deep  and  soft  the  ani- 
mal sinks  deeply,  so  as  to  make  a  trail  with  its 
body;  however,  the  skunk  seldom  travels  when 
the  snow  is  in  that  condition. 

Signs  of  the  skunk  may  be  noted  also  in 
summer  and  early  fall.  Occasionally  one  will 
find  in  the  field,  small  excavations  varying  from 
an  inch  and  a  half  to  four  or  five  inches  in  depth, 


212  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

nicely  rounded  and  funnel  shaped.  This  is  the 
work  of  the  skunk,  and  it  was  hunting  for  in- 
sects or  grubs. 

The  most  conspicuous  signs,  however,  are 
the  dens,  which  may  be  found  along  the  steep, 
gravelly  hillsides.  Although  the  woodchuck 
makes  a  similar  den,  one  may  be  able  to  distin- 
guish them,  as  a  rule.  If  the  den  is  inhabited 
by  skunks  one  will  usually  find  black  and  white 
hairs  clinging  to  the  mouth  of  the  den,  also  will 
be  likely  to  find  a  pile  of  droppings  somewhere 
near,  and  to  one  side  of  the  entrance. 

The  walk  of  the  opossum  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  skunk,  but  the  trail  is  broader,  the  foot- 
prints more  spreading  and  the  toes  turned  out- 
ward. The  feet  being  naked,  the  toes  show  very 
plainly.  Their  tracks  are  only  seen  after  a 
warm  night,  when  the  snow  is  melting,  and  the 
dens  are  seldom  found  unless  one  can  follow  the 
trail.  The  footprints  will  measure  from  one  and 
a  fourth  to  two  and  a  half  inches  in  diameter. 

The  tracks  made  by  the  animals  of  the  dog 
family,  the  fox,  coyote  and  wolf,  are  all  similar, 
practically  the  only  difference  being  in  size.  The 
foxes  make  the  smallest  tracks,  that  of  the  red 
fox  being  about  two  or  two  and  a  fourth  inches 
in  length  and  the  length  of  step  is  about  fourteen 
inches.  The  female  makes  a  narrower  track 
than  the  male,  the  same  being  true  of  many 


TRACKS  AND  SIGNS.  213 

animals.  There  is  no  difference  in  the  tracks  of 
the  silver,  cross  and  red  foxes,  they  being  all  of 
the  same  variety,  but  the  gray  fox  makes  a 
shorter  and  rounder  track,  easily  distinguished 
from  that  of  the  red  fox. 

In  early  fall  one  may  see  the  droppings  of 
the  fox  along  the  old  wood  roads  and  stock 
paths,  and  they  may  be  distinguished  from  those 
of  the  dog  by  the  remains  of  apples  and  other 
fruits  which  are  found  there.  Occasionally  one 
may  see  the  tracks  in  the  mud  or  dust  of  the  old 
roads  in  the  woods,  and  sometimes  the  dens  are 
to  be  found. 

As  before  mentioned  the  track  of  the  coyote 
is  identical  with  that  of  the  red  fox,  except  that 
it  is  larger.  The  length  of  step  is  about  sixteen 
inches  and  the  track  will  measure  about  two 
and  one-half  inches  in  length  by  two  inches  in 
width. 

The  track  of  the  timber  wolf  is  larger,  that 
of  a  full  grown  specimen  measuring  about  three 
inches  in  width  by  four  in  length,  the  length  of 
step  being  about  eighteen  or  twenty  inches. 

As  the  tracks  of  the  dogs  are  similar  so  also 
are  those  of  the  cats,  the  wild  cat,  lynx  and 
cougar,  or  mountain  lion,  the  only  difference  be- 
ing in  size.  The  two  first  named  are  plainly 
shown  in  the  drawings,  and,  as  will  be  noted,  that 
of  the  wild  cat  is  the  smallest,  and  will  measure 


Coyote  vsa/kiny 

*      *     * 

Coyote    running 


Fro 


?nt 
foot 


'V 

runn'f 


_  rront    foot  Hind  foot 

COVOte  (One- fourth  natural  sue) 


ISo/f 

Runs  and  walks 
Same  as  coyote 

•Ste/>5  About  /f  inches 


Tracks  one-fourth  natural  size 


kino 

front  foot 


Mldcdt 


'  Wdlkino 


__        Front  foot 
r-—  T-     (one-fourth  natural  size) 


Badger  walking 

Points  hind  foot  /rn^,a.rd  artcrt^'sts  wntrr 
ttstt/A/fy.  Latye  tracts  orfe -fourth  natural  si LC~ 

Badyer 


Lynx  runnino 

Canada  Lynx 

.<£/ 


Hind  feet 
(One -third  natural  */« 


_/«  tozoin. 
Runnina 


Tracks  of  Furbearing  Animals. 
(214) 


TRACKS  AND  SIGNS.  215 

about  two  inches  in  diameter  with  a  step  of 
about  fourten  inches. 

The  lynx  makes  a  step  of  about  the  same 
length  and  the  footprint  of  a  large  one  will  be 
from  three  to  three  and  a  half  inches  in  width. 

The  cougar  makes  a  larger  track  than  the 
lynx,  otherwise  there  is  no  difference.. 

Occasionally  one  may  find  where  these  ani- 
mals have  killed  game ;  the  lynx  will  eat  all  but 
the  feet  of  a  rabbit.  The  droppings  may  also  be 
seen  at  times.  They  resemble  somewhat  those 
of  the  fox,  but  are  slightly  larger,  and  never  show 
remains  of  fruit,  as  the  lynx  never  eats  vege- 
table food. 

Along  the  streams  and  shores  of  the  lakes 
and  ponds  one  may  see  in  summer  and  early  fall 
the  tracks  of  the  raccoon,  where  the  animal  has 
traveled  the  strip  of  mud  at  the  water's  edge, 
looking  for  frogs  and  fish.  One  may  trace  the 
animal  along  the  stream  and  will  find  that  at 
times  it  has  waded  in  the  shallow  water,  and 
then  again  has  gone  the  lope  along  the  water's 
edge,  or,  perhaps  has  made  a  side  journey  to 
some  cornfield.  At  such  places  if  coons  are 
plentiful,  one  may  find  a  trail  leading  through 
the  fence  into  a  field.  In  parts  of  the  South 
where  these  animals  are  abundant,  trails  may 
also  be  found  along  the  ponds  and  swamps. 

The  coon  belongs  to  the  bear  family,  and 


216  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

like  the  bear  steps  on  nearly  the  entire  bottom  of 
the  foot,  instead  of  the  toes  only,  as  do  the  cats 
and  some  other  animals,  therefore,  the  footprint 
is  usually  long  and  narrow,  and  the  foot  being 
bare  on  the  bottom,  the  long,  slender  toes  show 
up  distinctively.  The  animal  has  the  loping 
method  of  travel,  like  the  mink  and  weasel,  but 
shows  the  print  of  a  hind  foot  beside  that  of  the 
front  foot,  the  right  and  left  alternating.  The 
prints  of  the  hind  foot  will  measure  from  three 
to  four  inches  in  length,  when  the  entire  track  is 
visible. 

One  is  not  likely  to  mistake  the  track  of  the 
bear,  as  it  is  the  largest  of  the  furbearing  ani- 
mals. As  far  north  as  Pennsylvania,  its  tracks 
will  occasionally  be  seen  in  the  snow,  but  north 
of  that  tier  of  states,  the  bears  seldom  move 
about  after  the  coming  of  snow.  The  tracks  may 
sometimes  be  seen  in  the  mud  and  wet  moss  of 
the  northern  swamps,  also  on  the  shores  of  the 
lakes  and  along  the  streams. 

The  bear  has  a  shuffling  mode  of  walking 
and  turns  its  toes  outward.  It  is  fond  of  walk- 
ing on  logs  and  will  do  so  frequently,  where 
fallen  timber  is  plentiful.  The  track  of  a  large 
black  bear  will  sometimes  measure  eight  inches 
in  length,  and  that  of  the  grizzly  bear  will  be 
much  larger. 

Although   the   tracks   are   not   often   seen, 


Hind  foot 


CARIBOU 
(One-fifth  natural  size) 


MOOSE 

(About  <$  naturoJ  size  ) 


»        *  front  f**t*~~ 

Cottontail  rabbit 


3 nowshoe rabbit  (.varyiiy  hare) 


front  foot       Hind  foot 

VIRGINIA  DEER 
f One-fifth  natural  size) 


« 

Deer  walking 


Deer  running 


Moose  walkino 

*'•  **• 

tooose  trotting 


Tracks  of  Game  Animals. 
(217) 


218  SCIENCE  OP  TRAPPING. 

other  signs  are  to  be  found,  such  as  logs  and 
stumps,  torn  open  by  the  bear  in  its  search  for 
ants,  etc.,  small  poplars  broken  down  in  order 
to  secure  the  young  leaves,  claw  marks  on  chest- 
nut and  black  gum  trees,  overturned  rocks,  and 
those  most  noticeable  signs,  the  marked  trails, 
which  are  mentioned  in  the  chapter  describing 
this  animal. 

While  the  deer  are  not  classed  among  the 
fur-bearing  animals,  they  are  interesting  to  all 
trappers,  and  I  have  shown  drawings  of  the  foot- 
prints of  the  common  deer,  the  moose,  the  cari- 
bou, and  the  three  most  common  species  of  rab- 
bits, namely;  the  common  cottontail,  the  snow- 
shoe  rabbit,  or  varying  hare,  and  the  jack  rabbit. 
The  tracks  shown  in  one-fifth  size  are  of  the 
cottontail. 

As  will  be  noted  in  the  drawings  of  the  deer 
tracks,  that  of  the  hind  foot  is  narrower  and 
more  pointed  than  that  of  the  front.  The  doe 
also  makes  a  smaller  and  more  slender  track. 
The  average  track  will  measure  about  two  and  a 
fourth  inches  in  length.  The  moose  makes  a 
similar  track,  but  it  is  much  larger  and  will 
measure  about  four  and  a  half  to  five  and  a  half 
inches.  The  track  of  the  caribou  will  average 
somewhat  smaller  than  that  of  the  moose  and  is 
of  decidedly  different  shape.  It  is  not  so  pointed, 
and  the  hoof  being  split  much  higher,  it  spreads 


TRACKS  AND  SIGNS.  219 

out  more,  also  the  prints  of  the  two  small  toes 
on  the  back  of  the  foot  are  to  be  seen  in  nearly 
all  eases,  while  the  moose  does  not  always  show 
them. 

Almost  everybody  is  familiar  with  the  track 
of  the  rabbit,  but  I  have  shown  those  of  the  three 
species  mentioned,  mainly  to  show  the  difference 
in  size.  The  feet  being  furred  heavily,  the  prints 
of  the  toes  seldom  show,  except  on  hard  snow. 

Some  of  these  tracks  were  drawn  from 
memory,  but  others  were  sketched  from  the  ac- 
tual trails.  On  the  whole,  I  think  they  will  be 
found  to  be  accurate,  at  least  near  enough  to 
enable  anybody  to  distinguish  the  trails  of  the 
various  animals,  and  I  think  that  the  descrip- 
tions and  illustrations  will  be  of  value  to  the 
amateur  trapper  when  looking  over  his  terri- 
tory and  locating  the  runways  of  the  animals 
that  he  proposes  to  catch. 


CHAPTER  XXIIi. 

HANDLING  FURS. 

CO  know  the  habits  and  the  nature  of  the 
various  animals  and  to  know  how  to  catch 
them  is  not  all  that  is  essential  for  suc- 
cess, but  the  trapper  must  also  know  how 
to  skin  the  various  animals  and  how  to  cure  the 
skins  and  prepare  them  for  market. 

The  loss  caused  the  trapper  by  the  lack  of 
this  knowledge  is  considerable;  many  skins  be- 
cause they  have  not  been  fully  cured  reach  the 
dealer  in  a  tainted  condition,  others  are  not  fully 
stretched  and  are  graded  "small"  and  some  do 
not  have  the  proper  shape.  Some  are  not  cleaned 
of  flesh  and  fat,  do  not  have  the  tail  bone  re- 
moved, have  not  been  kept  clean  or  have  been 
badly  damaged  in  killing  or  skinning,  all  of 
which  has  a  tendency  to  decrease  their  value. 

I  have  seen  the  skins  of  raccoon,  killed  be- 
fore they  were  prime,  and  stretched  on  the  side 
of  a  barn  where  the  glare  of  the  sun  burned  the 
life  out  of  the  skins,  rendt-ring  them  worthless. 
I  have  also  seen  skunk  and  mink  skins  drawn 
over  the  end  of  a  thick  board  roughly  fashioned 

220 


HANDLING   FURS.  221 

with  an  axe,  and  hung  up  by  the  nose,  the  weight 
of  the  board  drawing  the  head  out  until  it  re- 
sembled the  finger  of  a  glove.  The  trapper  who 
handles  his  catch  in  that  way  can  never  expect 
to  receive  full  value  for  his  furs. 

There  are  two  ways  of  skinning  fur-bearing 
animals,  namely,  "casing"  and  skinning  "open". 
The  weasel,  mink,  marten,  fisher,  fox,  opossum, 
muskrat,  civet,  skunk,  wild  cat  should  be  cased. 
The  raccoon,  bear,  beaver,  badger,  cougar,  wolf, 
wolverine  and  coyote  should  be  skinned  open. 
Some  dealers  prefer  to  have  southern  raccoons 
cased. 

To  remove  a  skin  by  the  first  mentioned 
plan,  cut  it  loose  around  the  feet  and  rip  down 
the  back  of  the  hind  legs,  to  and  around  the  vent. 
Peel  the  skin  carefully  from  the  hind  legs  and 
skin  the  tail  by  slipping  a  split  stick  over  the 
bone,  when  by  gripping  the  stick  with  the  right 
hand  with  the  bone  of  the  tail  between  the  sec- 
ond and  third  fingers  and  holding  the  animal 
with  the  left  hand,  the  skin  may  be  stripped  off 
easily.  Draw  the  skin  downward  from  the  body, 
keeping  it  as  clean  of  flesh  and  fat  as  possible. 
To  facilitate  this  process  the  animal  may  be  sus- 
pended from  the  limb  of  a  tree  or  other  projec- 
tion by  looping  a  strong  cord  around  the  hind 
legs  after  they  have  been  skinned.  The  skin 
should  be  drawn  from  the  front  legs  and  when 


222  SCIENCE   OF    TRAPPING. 

the  ears  are  reached  they  should  be  cut  off,  cut- 
ting downwards  towards  the  head.  The  skin 
should  be  cut  loose  about  the  eyes  and  nose,  and 
it  will  then  be  in  the  form  of  a  long  pocket,  fur 
side  in. 

The  weasel,  mink,  marten,  fisher,  fox,  skunk, 
civet  cat  and  wild  cat  should  be  skinned  in  this 
way.  The  otter  must  have  the  tail  ripped  open 
its  entire  length  on  the  underside,  and  as  they 
are  a  difficult  animal  to  flesh,  it  is  best  to  skin 
them  clean  with  a  knife,  leaving  no  flesh  or  fat 
adhering  to  the  skin.  The  muskrat  and  opossum 
should  also  be  cased,  but  as  the  tails  of  these 
animals  have  no  fur  they  should  not  be  skinned, 
the  skin  being  cut  loose  about  the  base  or  where 
the  fur  ends. 

Some  trappers  do  not  use  much  care  in  re- 
moving the  skin  from  the  head  of  the  muskrat, 
but  simply  pull  it  off  by  main  strength.  This 
leaves  the  flesh  of  the  head  remaining  on  the 
skin  and  a  collection  of  such  skins  will  usually 
be  graded  low  and  the  skins  will  average  a  few 
cents  less  than  when  properly  handled. 

To  skin  an  animal  "open",  rip  the  skin  on 
the  belly  from  the  point  of  the  lower  jaw  to  the 
vent,  down  the  back  of  the  hind  legs  and  on  the 
inside  of  the  front  legs  across  the  breast  to  the 
point  of  the  brisket.  Animals  that  are  intended 
only  as  furs  may  have  the  feet  cut  off,  but  bears, 


HANDLING   FURS.  223 

mountain  lions,  wolves  and  wolverines  should 
have  the  feet  skinned  out  to  the  ends  of  the  toes, 
leaving  the  claws  attached  to  the  skin.  This 
increases  their  value  for  mounting  or  for  rugs. 
The  skin  should  be  peeled  from  the  body,  using 
the  knife  whenever  necessary. 

In  skinning  the  beaver,  rip  the  skin  from 
the  point  of  the  chin  to  the  vent  and  around  the 
base  of  the  tail  and  cut  off  the  feet,  but  do  not 
rip  the  skin  of  the  legs.  Skin  the  animal  per- 
fectly clean  using  the  knife  everywhere,  as  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  flesh  a  beaver  after  skin- 
ning. Not  a  particle  of  flesh  or  fat  should  be 
allowed  to  remain  on  the  skin. 

After  all  burrs,  lumps  of  mud  and  blood 
clots  have  been  removed  from  the  skin  it  is  ready 
for  fleshing.  For  fleshing  all  cased  skins  prepare 
a  narrow  tapering  board  of  sufficient  length  to 
accommodate  the  longest  skins  and  plane  it 
perfectly  smooth,  rounding  the  edges  slightly. 
Draw  the  skin  over  this  board  flesh  side  out  and 
scrape  all  flesh  and  fat  from  it,  using  some  blunt 
instrument,  such  as  a  square  edged  knife  or  a 
hatchet.  Turn  the  skin  occasionally  and  do  not 
flesh  on  the  edges  of  the  board  or  you  may  score 
the  skin ;  be  careful  not  to  damage  it  in  any  way. 
Always  turn  the  fur  side  out  before  laying  it 
down,  so  as  to  keep  it  perfectly  clean. 

Open  skins,  if  they  have  not  been  skinned 


224  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

clean,  are  more  readily  fleshed  after  they  are 
stretched. 

A  good  supply  of  stretching  boards  of  va- 
rious sizes  should  be  made  in  advance  of  the 
trapping  season.  Soft  pine,  poplar,  basswood, 
or  cedar  boards  are  best,  and  old  dry  goods  boxes 
make  excellent  stretching  boards.  They  should 
be  free  of  knots  and  should  be  planed  smooth  so 
that  the  furs  may  be  removed  easily  after  they 
are  dry. 

For  mink  the  boards  should  be  from  26  to 
34  inches  in  length  and  from  3^  to  4^  inches 
wide  at  widest  part,  and  about  \  inch  narrower 
at  the  shoulders  from  which  point  it  should  taper 
gracefully  to  the  head  and  end  with  a  rounded 
point.  For  marten,  the  boards  should  be  a  trifle 
wider.  For  the  average  fox  or  fisher,  the  board 
should  be  4  feet  long,  about  5i  inches  wide  at  the 
shoulder  and  6^  at  the  base.  For  the  otter  the 
board  should  be  about  %  inch  wider  and  a  foot 
longer.  The  average  lynx  will  require  a  board 
about  1\  inches  wide  at  the  shoulder  and  9^ 
inches  at  the  base,  by  about  5  feet  in  length. 
For  large  muskrats  the  board  should  be  two  feet 
long  by  6  inches  wide  at  the  base,  f  inches  nar- 
rower at  the  shoulder  and  with  a  flat  iron  shaped 
head,  but  more  rounded  at  the  nose.  One  should 
have  several  smaller  sizes  also.  For  skunk  and 
opossum  the  boards  should  be  about  6  inches 


HANDLING   FURS. 


225 


wide  at  the  shoulder  and  7J  inches  at  the  base, 
28  inches  long. 

These  dimensions  are  for  the  average  ani- 
mals, but  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  sizes 
vary  greatly  in  the  various  parts  of  the  country. 
In  the  case  of  the  skunk  and  the  mink  especially, 
there  is  a  great  difference  in  size. 


Skunk    and    Opossum 

Canadian   Pattern    Stretching   Boards. 

For  convenience  and  good  results  I  advise 
ripping  with  a  saw,  a  narrow  wedge  from  the 
center  of  all  boards  except  those  intended  for 
muskrats.  In  this  way  one  can  stretch  the  skins 
to  their  full  size  and  they  may  be  more  easily 
removed  from  the  boards,  after  the  wedge  is 

15 


226  SCIENCE  OF  TRAPPING. 

withdrawn.  For  large  boards  to  be  used  for 
lynx,  otter  and  animals  of  a  similar  size,  I  fasten 
two  short  strips  to  the  base  of  one  piece  of  the 
board,  as  shown  in  the  cut.  This  stiffens  the 
stretcher  and  prevents  the  pieces  from  turning 
in  the  skin.  All  boards  should  be  beveled  on  the 
sides,  leaving  the  edges  thin,  round  and  smooth. 
The  boards  shown  are  of  the  Canadian  pat- 
tern used  universally  by  the  Canadian  trappers 
both  Indian  and  white,  and  recommended  and 
approved  of  by  such  large  dealers  as  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Co.  The  tendency  among  trappers  of 
more  southern  districts  is  to  use  a  less  tapered 
board  with  a  more  rounded  point. 

The  skins  should  be  stretched  as  soon  as  they 
are  fleshed.  In  using  the  three  piece  board  slip 
the  two  halves  into  the  skin,  the  flesh  side  being 
out  and  fasten  the  hind  legs  with  one  or  two 
small  nails  in  each,  .then  insert  the  wedge  and 
draw  down  all  slack  parts  and  fasten  with  nails. 
Be  sure  to  get  the  back  on  one  side  of  the  board 
and  the  belly  on  the  other.  Draw  up  the  skin 
of  the  lower  jaw  and  fasten  with  a  couple  of 
tacks  or  small  nails.  In  the  case  of  the  lynx  it 
is  advisable  to  slip  a  narrow  board  into  each 
front  leg  and  a  small  incision  should  be  made 
in  the  tip  of  the  tail  of  all  animals,  to  allow  the 
moisture  to  drain  out  and  the  tail  to  dry. 


HANDLING  FURS.  227 

The  tail  of  the  otter  should  be  stretched  out 
to  its  full  width  and  well  fastened  with  small 
nails.  Some  trappers  also  split  the  tail  of  the 
skunk  for  about  one-half  of  its  length  and  fasten 
it  in  the  same  way. 

The  proper  way  to  stretch  open  skins  is  by 
lacing  them  with  twine  in  a  hoop  or  frame.  The 
beaver  should  be  stretched  round,  and  a  hoop 
is  most  convenient.  My  method  is  to  fasten  the 
skin  in  the  hoop  at  four  points  and  then  with  a 
large  sacking  needle  and  strong  twine  stretch 
out  one  quarter  at  a  time.  I  use  a  separate 
twine  for  each  quarter,  sewing  thru  the  edge  of 
the  skin  and  around  the  hoop,  tying  the  end 
with  a  loose  knot.  In  case  I  find  that  any  part 
is  stretched  too  much  or  not  enough,  it  is  a 
simple  matter  to  untie  the  string  and  give  it  a 
little  slack  or  take  up  a  little  as  the  case  re- 
quires. 

The  raccoon  should  be  stretched  nearly 
square  and  all  other  skins  to  their  natural  shape. 
A '  square  frame  is  most  convenient,  and  the 
method  employed  may  be  the  same  as  for  bea- 
vers. Open  skins  which  have  not  been  fleshed, 
should  have  all  of  the  flesh  peeled  off  after  they 
are  stretched  and  then  ,it  will  frequently  be 
found  necessary  to  re-stretch  them  but  this  is 
not  difficult  when  using  the  twine. 


228  SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 

All  furs  should  be  dried  or  cured  in  a  cool, 
airy  place.  They  should  never  be  allowed  near 
the  heat  of  the  fire  as  they  dry  rapidly  and  be- 
come brittle  and  unfit  for  use.  In  camp  they 
may  be  dried  in  some  corner,  removed  from  the 
fire  but  they  are  likely  to  take  on  a  dirty  yel- 
low color  from  the  smoke,  and  it  is  better  to 
have  a  shelter  for  them  on  the  outside. 

Furs  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain  a 
long  time  on  the  boards.  As  soon  as  tkey  are 
sufficiently  dry  to  prevent  shrinking  or  wrink- 
ling they  should  be  removed.  The  lynx  and  all 
species  and  varieties  of  foxes  should  be  turned 
with  the  fur  side  out  as  soon  as  they  become  dry 
enough,  and  if  the  skin  has  become  too  dry  to 
turn,  it  may  be  dampened  slightly  on  the  stiffer 
parts  by  placing  a  damp  cloth  over  it.  A  very 
little  will  suffice  and  one  must  be  certain  to 
allow  the  skin  to  dry  out  thoroughly  after  turn- 
ing. It  is  best  to  watch  the  skins  closely  and 
not  allow  them  to  become  too  dry  before  turn- 
ing. Some  trappers  turn  the  skins  of  other  ani- 
mals, but  with  the  exception  of  those  mentioned 
it  is  better  to  leave  the  fur  side  in. 

When  shipping  the  furs  they  should  be 
packed  flat  and  bound  tightly.  Those  having 
the  fur  side  out  should  be  kept  separate  from 
the  others  so  that  the  fur  will  not  become  greasy. 
I  sew  the  skins  in  burlap  and  put  a  card  bear- 


HANDLING  FURS.  229 

ing  my  name  and  address  inside  of  the  pack- 
age; also  tie  two  shipping  tags  on  the  outside. 
Furs  handled  by  the  above  methods  will  al- 
ways command  good  prices  and  I  never  have 
any  cause  for  complaint  if  I  ship  them  to  re- 
liable dealers,  but  when  furs  are  badly  handled, 
damaged  in  killing  or  afterwards,  or  unprime, 
one  cannot  expect  the  highest  market  price. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

STEEL   TRAPS 

TN  the  preceding  pages  I  have  made  frequent 
mention  of  the  Newhouse  and  other  brands 
of  traps  and  the  work  would  hardly  be 
complete  without  a  description  of  these 
traps. 

The  Newhouse  traps  were  designed  by 
Sewell  Newhouse,  a  resident  of  Oneida  Co.,  New 
York,  sometime  prior  to  the  year  1840  and  the 
first  of  these  famous  traps  were  manufactured 
by  the  inventor  in  a  little  blacksmith  shop,  all 
of  the  work  being  done  by  hand. 

These  traps  were  traded  to  the  neighboring 
Indians  and  gradually  became  famous  through- 
out the  country.  Early  in  the  fifties,  Mr.  New- 
house  moved  to  Kenwood,  in  Madison  County 
and  established  a  larger  shop.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  he  joined  the  Oneida  Community  and 
as  the  demand  for  the  goods  soon  exceeded  the 
output,  the  firm  decided  that  the  business  must 
be  enlarged  and  accordingly  a  small  factory  was 
erected. 

The  business  proved  prosperous  and  it  was 

230 


STEM,  TRAPS.  281 

found  necessary  to  enlarge  the  plant  from  time 
to  time  in  order  to  increase  the  output6 and  sup- 
ply the  demand  which  was  increasing  rapidly  as 
the  traps  became  well  known,  and  today  these 
people  are  the  largest  manufacturers  of  steel 
traps  in  the  world. 

Great  care  is  used  in  the  tempering  of  the 
springe  and  it  is  a  fact  well  known  to  the  users 
of  this  goods  that  the  Newhouse  spring  is  more 
reliable  and  more  durable  than  any  other. 

The  nearly  perfect  state  of  the  Newhouse 
trap  as  it  is  made  at  present,  has  only  been 
reached  after  years  of  study  and  exjjeriment  and 
many  of  the  improvements  have  been  brought 
about  by  the  trappers  themselves,  with  whom 
this  firm  has  a  large  correspondence.  They  are 
always  pleased  to  receive  any  suggestions  for 
the  improvement  of  their  traps. 

Although  the  Newhouse  is  a  cheap  trap, 
quality  considered,  it  was  soon  found  necessary 
to  manufacture  a  line  of  cheaper  traps  and  sev- 
eral styles  were  placed  on  the  market.  These  were 
remodeled  and  changed  in  various  ways  to  meet 
the  demands  of  the  consumer,  and  the  names 
were  changed  with  the  style. 

Those  made  at  present  are  known  as  the 
"Hawley  &  Norton/'  the  "Oneida  Jump"  and  the 
"Victor".  The  Hawley  &  Norton  is  made  in  the 


232  SCIENCE  OF   TRAPPING. 

same  style  as  the  Newhouse,  but  is  lighter.  The 
Victor  i»  also  made  in  this  style  and  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  it  is  the  most  popular  trap  on  the 
market.  More  of  them  are  used  than  of  any  other 
brand  and  being  so  cheap  they  are  especially 
liked  by  the  beginner  and  by  those  who  do  not 
make  trapping  their  leading  occupation.  In 
thickly  settled  districts  where  traps  are  often 
taken  by  thieves,  many  trappers  prefer  to  use 
these  cheaper  grades  of  traps. 

The  Oneida  Jump  trap  is  a  distinct  de- 
parture from  the  Newhouse  pattern.  It  is  a 
high  grade  trap  but  very  light  and  its  shape  al- 
lows it  to  be  placed  where  an  ordinary  trap  could 
be  set  only  with  difficulty.  Instead  of  having 
the  long  bow  spring  as  in  the  other  styles  it  has 
a  short  spring  located  inside  of  the  jaws  and 
under  the  pan,  and  it  is  attached  to  one  end  of 
the  bed  plate  of  the  trap.  This  makes  the  trap 
very  compact  and  it  takes  up  very  little  room 
either  when  set  or  sprung.  The  traps  have  been 
on  the  market  a  comparatively  short  time  but 
they  have  already  become  quite  popular. 

All  of  these  traps  are  made  in  sizes  from 
No.  0  to  No.  4  and  the  Newhouse  is  made  in 
additional  sizes  and  in  special  styles  as  de- 
scribed in  the  following  pages. 


STEEL  TRAPS. 


233 


Spread  of  Jaws  3|  inches.  This,  the  small- 
est trap  made,  is  used  mostly  for  catching  the 
gopher,  a  little  animal  which  is  very  troublesome 
to  western  farmers,  and  also  rats  and  other  ver- 
min. It  has  a  sharp  grip  and  will  hold  larger 
game,  but  should  not  be  overtaxed. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  4  inches.  This  Trap  is  used 
for  catching  muskrats  and  other  small  animals, 
and  sold  in  greater  numbers  than  any  other  size. 
Its  use  is  well  understood  by  professionel  trap- 
pers and  it  is  the  most  serviceable  size  for  catch- 
ink  skunks,  weasels,  rats  and  such  other  animals 
as  visit  poultry  houses  and  barns. 


234 


SCIENCE    OF    TRAPPING. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  4  inches.  Occasionally  ani- 
mals free  themselves  from  traps  by  gnawing 
their  legs  off  just  below  the  trap  jaws,  where  the 
flesh  is  numb  from  pressure.  Various  forms  of 
traps  have  been  experimented  with  to  obviate 
this  difficulty.  The  Webbed  Jaws  shown  above 
lave  proved  very  successful  in  this  respect. 

Noting  the  cross-section  of  the  jaws,  as  illus- 
trated at  the  left,  it  is  plain  the  animal  can  only 
gnaw  off  its  leg  at  a  point  quite  a  distance  below 
the  meeting  edges.  The>  flesh  above  the  point  of 
amputation  and  below  the  jaws  will  swell  and 
make  it  impossible  to  pull  the  leg  stump  out  ofi 
the  trap. 


STEEL  TftAPS. 


The  No.  81  Trap  corresponds  in  size  with  the 
regular  No.  1  Newhouse. 

Spread  of  Jaws  —  91,  5^  inches;  91  J,  6J 
inches.  The  double  jaws  take  an  easy  and  firm 


grip  so  high  up  on  the  muskrat  that  he  can  not 
twist  out.  A  skunk  cannot  gnaw  out  either. 

These  traps  are  especially  good  for  muskrat, 
mink,  skunk  and  raccoon. 

All  parts  of  the  No.  91  except  the  Jaws  are 
the  same  size  as  the  regular  No.  1  Newhouse, 
while  the  91^  corresponds  to  the  regular  No.  1£. 


236 


SCIENCE   OF   TRAPPING. 


Spread  of  Jaws  4£  inches.  This  size  is  called 
the  Mink  Trap.  It  is,  however,  suitable  for 
catching  the  woodchuck,  skunk,  etc.  Profes- 
sional trappers  often  use  it  for  catching  foxes. 
It  is  very  convenient  in  form  and  is  strong  and 
reliable. 


Spread  of  Jaws  4£  inches.  The  No.  2  Trap 
is  called  the  Fox  Trap.  Its  spread  of  jaws  is 
the  same  as  the  No.  1^  but  having  two  springs  it 
is,  of  course,  much  stronger. 


STEEL  TRAPS. 


237 


Spread  of  Jaws  5^  inches.  This,  the  Otter 
Trap,  is  very  powerful.  It  will  hold  almost  any 
game  smaller  than  a  bear. 


Spread  of  Jaws  6£  inches.  This  is  the  regu- 
lar form  of  Beaver  Trap.  It  is  longer  than  the 
No.  3  Trap,  and  has  one  inch  greater  spread  of 
jaws.  It  is  a  favorite  with  those  who  trap  and 
hunt  for  a  living  in  the  Northwest  and  Canada. 
It  is  also  extensively  used  for  trapping  the 
smaller  wolves  and  coyotes  in  the  western  stock 
raising  regions. 


238 


SCIENCE    OF    TRAPPING. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  6^  inches.  In  some  locali- 
ties the  otter  grow*  to  an  unusual  size,  witb 
great  proportionate  strength,  so  that  the  manu- 
facturers have  been  led  to  produce  an  especially 
large  and  strong  pattern.  All  the  parts  are 
heavier  than  the  No.  2^,  the  spread  of  jaws 
greater  and  the  spring  stiffer. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  5  inches.  The  above  cut 
represents  a  Single  Spring  Otter  Trap.  It  is 
used  more  especially  for  catching  otter  on  their 
"slides."  For  this  purpose  a  thin,  raised  plate 
of  steel  is  adjusted  to  the  pan  so  that  wheu  the 


STEEL  TRAPS.  239 

trap  is  set  the  plate  will  be  a  trifle  higher  than 
the  teeth  on  the  jaws.  The  spring  is  very  power- 
ful, being  the  same  as  used  on  the  No.  4  New- 
house  Trap.  The  raised  plate  can  be  readily  de- 
tached if  desired,  making  the  trap  one  of  general 
utility. 


Single  Spring.  Same  as  No.  2£  but  without 
Teeth  or  Eaised  Plate. 

No.  31i  NEWHOUSE  TEAR 
Single  Spring.    Same  as  No.  3J  but  without 
teeth  or  Eaised  Plate. 

Spread  of  Jaws — No.  21J,  5J  inches;  No.  31^, 
6|  inches.  These  traps  are  the  largest  smooth 
jaw,  single  spring  sizes  that  are  made.  Profes- 
sional trappers  will  find  these  especially  valu- 
able when  on  a  long  trapping  line,  as  they  are 
more  compact  and  easier  to  secrete  than  the 


240 


SCIENCE    OF    TRAPPING. 


large    double    spring   traps.     The    springs   are 
made  extra  heavy. 

Note. — The  21^  is  practically  a  single  spring 
No.  3  and  the  31£  a  single  spring  No.  4. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  6^  inches.  This  trap  is  the 
same  in  size  as  the  No.  4  Beaver,  but  has  heavier 
and  stiffer  springs  and  offset  jaws,  which  allow 
the  springs  to  raise  higher  when  the  animal's  leg 
is  in  the  trap,  and  is  furnished  with  teeth  suffi- 
ciently close  to  prevent  the  animal  from  pulling 
its  foot  out. 


Clutch  Detachable — Trap  can  be  used  with  or 
Without  it. 


STEEL  TRAPS. 


241 


Spread  of  Jaws,  No.  23,  5J  inches;  No.  24, 
o^  inches.  The  inventor  of  this  attachment 
claims  to  have  had  wonderful  success  with  it  in 
taking  beaver.  The  trap  should  be  set  with  the 
clutch  end  farthest  from  shore.  The  beaver 
swims  with  his  fore  legs  folded  back  against  his 
body,  and  when  he  feels  his  breast  touch  the 
bank  he  puts  them  down.  The  position  of  the 
trap  can  be  so  calculated  that  he  will  put  his  fore 
legs  in  the  trap,  when  the  clutch  will  seize  him 
across  the  body  and  hold  him  securely. 


In  response  to  a  demand  for  a  new  model  of 
the  Newhouse  Trap  especially  adapted  to  catch- 
ing wolves,  the  manufacturers  have  perfected  a 
trap  which  is  numbered  4J  and  is  called  the 
"Newhouse  Wolf  Trap." 


242  SCIENCE    OF    TRAPPING. 

This  trap  has  eight  inches  spread  of  jaw,  with 
other  parts  in  proportion,  and  is  provided  with  a 
pronged  "drag,"  a  heavy  snap  and  an  extra  heavy 
steel  swivel  and  chain,  five  feet  long,  warranted 
to  hold  2,000  pounds.  The  trap  complete  with 
chain  and  "drag"  weighs  about  nine  pounds. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  9  inches.  This  trap  is  in- 
tended for  catching  small  sized  bears.  In  de- 
sign it  is  exactly  like  the  standard  No.  5  Bear 
Trap,  only  that  the  parts  are  all  somewhat 
smaller.  Weight,  11J  pounds  each. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  9  inches.  This  trap  is  identi- 
cal with  No.  5  excepting  that  the  jaws  are  offset, 
making  a  space  five-eighths  inch  between  them. 
This  allows  the  springs  to  come  up  higher  when 
the  bear's  foot  is  in  the  trap,  and  thus  secure  a 
better  grip.  Also  there  is  less  chance  of  break- 
ing the  bones  of  the  foot.  Weight,  11£  pounds 
each. 


STEEL  TRAPS. 


243 


Spread  of  Jaws,  llf  inches.  This  trap  weighs 
nineteen  pounds.  It  is  used  for  taking  the  com- 
mon black  bear  and  is  furnished  with  a  very 
strong  chain. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  llf  inches.  To  meet  the 
views  of  certain  hunters  whose  judgment  is  re- 
spected, the  manufacturers  designed  a  style  of 
jaw  for  the  No.  5  trap,  making  an  offset  of  f  of 
an  inch,  so  as  to  allow  the  springs  to  come  up 
higher  when  the  bear's  leg  is  in  the  trap.  This 
gives  the  spring  a  better  grip.  Those  wishing 
this  style  should  specify  "No.  15." 


244 


SCIENCE    OF    TRAPPING. 


Spread  of  Jaws,  16  inches.  Weight,  com- 
plete, 42  pounds.  This  is  the  strongest  trap 
made.  We  have  never  heard  of  anything  getting 
out  of  it  when  once  caught.  It  is  used  to  catch 
lions  and  tigers,  as  well  as  the  great  Grizzly 
Bears  of  the  Eocky  Mountains. 


This  cut  illustrates  Bear  Chain  Clevis  and 
t,  intended  as  a  substitute  for  the  ring  on  the 
•end  of  the  trap  chain,  when  desired. 

With  this  clevis  a  loop  can  be  made  around 
small  log  or  tree  without  the  trouble  of  cut- 


STEEL  TRAPS. 


245 


ting  to  fit  the  ring.  The  chain  is  made  five  feet 
long,  suitable  for  any  clog,  and  the  prices  of  bear 
traps  fitted  with  it  are  the  same  as  with  the 
regular  short  chain  and  ring. 


Every  trapper  knows  how  difficult  it  is  to  set 
a  large  trap  alone  in  the  woods,  especially  in 
cold  weather,  when  the  fingers  are  stiff,  and  the 
difficulty  is  greatly  increased  when  one  has  to 
work  in  a  boat.  One  of  these  clamps  applied  to 
each  spring  will  by  a  few  turns  of  the  thumb- 
screws, bend  the  springs  to  their  places,  so  that 
the  pan  may  be  adjusted  without  difficulty.  No. 
4  Clamp  can  be  used  on  any  trap  smaller  than 
No.  4J.  No.  5  and  6  are  strong  clamps,  care- 
fully made  and  especially  adapted  to  setting  the 
large  traps  Nos.  4^  to  6.  They  dispense  with  the 
inconvenient  and  dangerous  use  of  levers.  With 
them  one  can  easily  set  these  powerful  traps. 
These  clamps  are  also  useful  about  camp  for 
other  purposes. 


Home  Manufacture  of  Furs  and  Skins 

A  book  of  practical  instructions  telling  how  to  tan,  dress,  color  ax.  ,    manu- 
facture or  make  into  articles  of  ornament;  use  or  wear. 


THE  author,  who  has  been  in  close  touch  with 
trappers,  hunters  and  other  outdoor  people 
for  more  than  twenty  years  as  a  practical 
tanner,  furrier  and  taxidermist  in  the  introduction 
says :  "Probably  one  of  the  oldest  human  indus- 
tries is  Home  Dressing  and  Manufacturing  of 
Furs  and  Skins,  as  this  method  of  clothing  the 
body  has  persisted  from  the  early  days  (even  back 
to  the  stone  age)  to  the  present  time.  As  a  happy 
combination  of  dress  and  ornament  furs  will  al- 
ways continue  to  lead.  At  the  present  time  the 
manufacture  of  furs  has  been  highly  developed, 
with  the  aid  of  machinery  and  specialized  '  work- 
men it  is  conducted  on  a  scale  which  compares 
favorably  with  any  business  activity.  However, 
the  principals  remain  the  same,  and  good  results  can  stUl  be  attained 
by  hand  labor.  To  the  average  outdoor  man  it  is  a  positive  pleasure  to 
see  the  stiff,  dirty,  raw  skin  develop  into  the  soft,  clean,  flexible  ma- 
terial, and  later  to  shape  it  into  a  protection  from  the  cold  and  an 
ornament  combined." 

This  new,  practical  and  only  book  on  the  subject  contains  285  pages, 
91  illustrations,  34  chapters,  and  offers  at  a  small  cost  a  way  for  you 
to  learn  a  pleasant  and  profitable  business  enabling  you  to  tan,  dye, 
dress  and  manufacture  not  only  your  own  catch  but  to  engage  in  the 
business  if  you  wish.  Read  the  chapter  headings,  which  will  show  you 
how  complete  the  book  is : 

XVIII.  Fur    Dyeing,    Uses    and 


I.  Some  Facts  and  General 
Principles  for  Fur  and 
Skin  Workers. 

II.  Correct    Modes    of    Skin- 
ning Fur  Animals. 
III.  Stretching  and  Curing. 
IV.  Handling      Other     Skins 

and   Hides. 
V.  Storing  and  Shipping 

Raw   Furs. 

VI.   Indian  Skin  Dressing. 
VII.   Indian  Fur  Robes. 
VIII.  Tools  and  Appliances. 
IX.  Tanning     Materials     and 

Terms. 
X.  Tanning    Formulas    and 

Recipes. 

XI.  Preliminary  Work,  Soak- 
ing, Fleshing,  De- 
greasing. 

XII.   Softening,  Cleaning  Skins 
XIII.  Small  or  Light  Furs. 
XIV.   Heavy  Furs. 

XV.   Deer   Skins,    Buckskin. 
XVI.   Sheep  and  Goat  Skins. 
XVII.  M  i  s  c  e  1 1  aneous    Skins, 
Gator,   Snake,   Birds. 


Principles. 
XIX.  Dyeing      Material      and 

Appliances. 

XX.  Colors    and    Formulas. 
XXI.   Furriers'  Tools  and  Sup- 

XXII.   Making    Up    Furs    and 
Garments. 

XXIII.  Fur  Robes. 

XXIV.  Fur    Rugs,    With    and 

Without      Mounted 
Heads. 
XXV.  Trimmings    and    Natural 

Heads  and  Tails. 
XXVI.  Collars,    Cuffs    and    Odd 

Pieces. 

XXVII.  Coats  and  Capes. 
XXVIII.   Caps,   Mittens,   Gloves. 
XXIX.  Muffs  and   Neckpieces. 

XXX.  Moccasins    and    Pacs. 
XXXI.  Utilizing    Fur   Waste. 
XXXII.   Cleaning,    Repairing    and 


Storing. 

XXXIII.  Prices    for    Tanning    and 
Other  Fur  Work. 

,    , XXXIV.  Appendix. 

If  you  like  to  handle  furs,  skins  and  hides  HOME  MANUFAC- 
TURE OF  FURS  AND  SKINS  will  show  you  how  to  make  more 
money  out  of  your  catch  or  buy  by  tanning,  dyeing  and  manufacturing 
into  articles  for  which  there  is  usually  a  ready  market  at  prices  much 
higher  than  the  raw  skins  will  bring.  This  book  like  others  on  hunt- 
ing, trapping,  etc.,  that  I  publish  is  practical  and  written  so  that  it  is 
easily  understood.  / 

Price,  postpaid,  cloth  bound,  to  any  address,   $1.25         7 
A.  R.  HARDING,  Pub.,  106  Walnut  St.,  ST.  LOUIS,  MO. 


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